Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Atriplex leucoclada
Rughl Saltbush
The Atriplex leucoclada, commonly known as the Rughl Saltbush, is a low, densely branched grey-white shrub of the saline plains and sabkha margins of Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Its small mealy leaves are coated in salt-excreting bladder hairs that give the whole plant a chalky, almost white appearance in full sun.
It is one of the most salt-hardy shrubs in the regional flora, holding cover on ground where the surface crusts with salt. Specifiers use it for saline site rehabilitation, dust suppression, road verge stabilisation and native low shrub mass.
Specifications
- Height0.5 to 1.5 metres
- Width1 to 2 metres
- Native toThe Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran and the Levant
- FoliageSmall, thick, mealy grey-white leaves coated in salt-excreting bladder hairs; evergreen
- Growth rateModerate
Conditions
- SoilAccepts strongly saline, alkaline, sandy and gypseous soils; requires drainage rather than fertility
- LightFull sun
- WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and able to use saline groundwater
- ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions with saline soils and is fully adapted to Gulf conditions
Additional Features
- FormLow, dense, spreading grey-white mound that reads as pale texture in mass planting
- UsesSaline and degraded site rehabilitation, dust suppression, road verge and embankment stabilisation, native low shrub mass
- SpacingPlant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for continuous cover
- Low MaintenanceNeeds nothing beyond occasional cutting back to refresh dense growth
- Pest ResistanceRobust with no significant recurring pest or disease problems
- Salt ToleranceVery high, excreting excess salt through leaf bladder hairs and persisting on salt-crusted ground
- Drought ToleranceVery high, surviving on natural rainfall in areas below 100 mm per year
- Environmental BenefitsUsed for saline land reclamation and as drought reserve forage across the region
The Rughl Saltbush is a first-choice rehabilitation shrub for salt-affected ground, and it establishes where the planting palette has otherwise run out.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 12 September 2026