It has been proposed by Fuentes-Bazan, S. Et al. 2012 'Towards a species level tree of the globally diverse genus Chenopodium (Chenopodiaceae)' in Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 62:372 that the genus Rhagodia should be merged with the genus Chenopodium. This has not as yet (2015) been fully accepted and so, for the time being, we are continuing to use Rhagodia. If the changes are accepted, then this species will become Chenopodium parabolicum (R.Br.) S.Fuentes & Borsch[].

Common Name: Mealy Saltbush

General Information

Mealy saltbush is an evergreen shrub growing up to 3 metres tall.
The edible leaves are sometimes gathered from the wild for local use.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland.

Habitat

Poor soils of the semi-arid zones, also in areas of higher rainfall.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Mainly found in warm temperate areas, the plant does just find its way into the tropics.
Requires a sunny position and a well-drained soil.

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked. A salty flavour, the leaves contain up to a third by weight of salt[]. The salt can be removed by briefly boiling the leaves in a couple of changes of water[]. The leaves are tender and palatable after 1 hours boiling[].

The small red fruits are probably edible[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a week, prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts.

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