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Atriplex lanfrancoi
Also called Maltase Cliff Orache
Maltese cliff orache is a rare, evergreen, woody shrub found only on sheer limestone cliffs in Malta and Gozo. It is grown mainly by specialist collectors and botanic gardens, and it needs free-draining soil, full sun and very little water.
Atriplex lanfrancoi, also known as the Maltese cliff orache, is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is perennial, evergreen, branched, woody shrub. It is endemic to Malta, where it is found on sheer cliffs along the coasts of the islands of Malta and Gozo. It never occurs further than 100 m from the cliffside. The Maltese cliff orache is listed as being endangered on the IUCN Red List. It was formerly assessed as being critically endangered. The species has a very restricted and fragmented range and its preferred habitat is threatened by natural erosion, limestone quarrying, and pollution caused by waste dumping. Its wild population is expected to number in the several thousands and is thought to be declining.
The Maltese cliff orache is endemic to Malta, where it is found on sheer cliffs along the southern and southwestern coasts of the island of Malta, as well the western and northwestern coasts of Gozo and on Fungus Rock. It prefers the lower parts of limestone cliffs and is occasionally found on plateaus along the tops of cliffs, but never occurs further than 100 m from the cliffside.
Tubercled saltbush · Swamp Saltbush · Fan Saltbush · Silverscale saltbush · Native Orache · Atriplex billardierei · Silver saltbush · Fourwing saltbush · Gray saltbush · Flat-topped saltbush · Shadscale saltbush · Heartscale
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Atriplex lanfrancoi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
