Shrubs differ from trees by generally being shorter and having many woody stems instead of one main trunk. Fourwing Saltbush is the casual term for a shrub known to botany as Atriplex Canescens. Its native range passes through Keys View, an area of Joshua Tree National Park in the Little San Bernardino Mountains at approximately 5,000 feet.
Fourwing Saltbush also grows throughout other parts of California, and the western United States, no further east than Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota and North Dakota. Such a range supports its growth from sea level to over 7,000 feet, and appears in a multitude of biomes such as Alkali Sink, Creosote Bush Scrub, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Joshua Tree Woodland, Coastal Strand, Valley Grassland, Chaparral, and Coastal Sage Scrub.
Although shrubs might not be as prominent as trees or Cacti, Atriplex Canescens is identifiable by distinct flakey bracts which surrond its fruits. It has been known to naturally hybridize with several other species of Atriplex, making the 5 varieties recognized by botanists even harder to discearn. Native cultures would work the dried root and tiny inconspicuous blossoms into a poultice for insect bites, and were also burned in spiritual events. Additionally, roots could be processed into soap, and seeds which had not yet been dispersed by wind were gathered and consumed.
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