Orache is a many-branched annual plant, common on coastal beaches, and along the upper edges of salt and brackish marshes. It can also be found in saline inland soils. Its weak stems produce a somewhat floppy, sprawling form. In my mind, however, this particular species of orache (Atriplex prostrata) is fairly confusing. It has numerous common names, including spearscale, hastate-leaved orache, triangle orache, spear-leaved orache, and many others, and it belongs to a fairly large genus, Atriplex, which contains between 250 and 300 species, including a number of similar-looking, salt-tolerant seashore species found in New England. 

To make matters more confusing, many of its features are variable. Its leaf shape ranges from long and slender to broadly triangular with a base that may be rounded, heart-shaped, arrow-shaped or straight, although a triangle or spear-shaped leaf is most common. The lowermost leaves are opposite, while the upper ones are alternate. The edges of the leaves may be entire, wavy, or somewhat serrate. Masses of small flowers appear in June, but this time of year, the fleshy, pink, triangular bracts enclosing the seeds are present instead of the flowers. At this stage, the plants are very conspicuous, with both the seed heads and the stems having turned a rosy-red. Based on the features I was able to note, the habitat it was growing in, and its location on Cape Cod, my best guess is that it’s Atriplex prostrata, but it could actually be one of a number of other Atriplex species. 

Luckily, from a wild edible standpoint, determining the exact species of Atriplex is unimportant – all are edible (as are the two less-related look alikes: lamb’s quarters and green amaranth). The leaves can be harvested from spring to late autumn and can be eaten raw as a trail nibble or added to salads, or cooked in any recipe that calls for wild greens. Given that it grows in a salt marsh, however, be careful not to add too much salt. Because it absorbs so much salt from its environment, it essentially comes pre-salted. In addition to being an edible plant for human consumption, orache is also a favorite food of Canada geese, which feed on its seeds, leaves and stems. Orache also provides food for quail, deer, and rabbits.