Shadscale Saltbush

A shrub that can be found in 4”-8” precipitation zones and in elevations from 4,000-7,000 ft.. One of nearly 60 species of saltbushes that occur in the United States. Like Fourwing Saltbush, its leaf surfaces are silvery gray and scaly and its foliage has a salty taste, but unlike it, its leaves are rounded and its fruits have two wings instead of four. It grows from 1’-3’ in height. Native Americans ground the fruits of shadscale into flour.