Sea Orache / Spring / Summer / Edible

Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Jcomeau ictx, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

There are 5 Oraches in Francis Rose’s ‘The Wild Flower Key’. All are edible and delicious, as long as you’re sure they’re Oraches. All live near the coastline or salt estuaries, often growing on sand. Never leave a patch of green on a beach unheeded!

Common Name

Member of the Goosefoot family, which can be a helpful ID aide due to the shape of the leaves. Spear-leaved Orache, Babington’s Orache, Frosted Orache, Common Orache, Early Orache

Botanical Name

Atriplex halimus

Scientific Classification

Kingdom – Plantae

Order –Saxifragales

Family – Saxifragaceae

Physical Characteristics for Sea Orache

Growing to a meter tall, this fleshy annual plant has distinctive arrow (or, if wider, goosefoot shaped) leaves, sometimes with reddish venation.

Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Leaves

The leaves sometimes appear frosted as if with icing sugar. The stalks snap easily when the plant is young and can be ringed with red, depending on the species.

Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Jcomeau ictx, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Seeds

The seeds have a distinctive spiky, geometric shape and are usually red.

Habitat

Coastal habitats, often found growing on the sand itself.

Mainly in the maritime North and Western areas of the British Isles and up into Norway and Scandinavia. Elsewhere it is considered more common to find it inland.

Known Hazards

None known

Could be Confused with

Fat hen (Chenopodium album), which grows inland and you may be familiar with as a garden weed. Also good eating! Little can be confused with Orache if you’re at the coast.

Edible Uses

Use the leaves like spinach, a cultivated relative, but more sparingly as the plants can grow quite sparsely. When the seeds are young and soft, they can be used as a sprinkle if harvested sparingly to allow the plant to regenerate.

Notes on Herbal Uses

Traditionally added to fortifying soups given during convalescence.

Extra notes from the Foragers

It can be used as an inter-crop plant to protect more tender crops from wind and sun scorch and is very tolerant of dry conditions. Makes a delicious addition to the salad bowl or to vegetable dishes.

There is also an Orache Moth (Trachea atriplicis), which is an amazing example of woodland camouflage.