Description

Fourwing saltbush is widely distributed and is an important native, woody-based and branched semi-shrub on rangelands in the West and across the Great Plains. It is a warm season, perennial shrub and is found on the moderately-saline or alkaline "greasewood" sites in central and eastern Montana. The height varies from 1 to 5 feet in Montana, and the deep taproot may extend to 30 feet.

New growth is initiated in early spring and the leaves are essentially evergreen in locations where the plant is hardy. Fourwing saltbush is dormant during the winter even though the leaves are retained. The foliage is fairly palatable, and the nutrition is good year round.

It is an important winter food for game and livestock, and is found at elevations up to 8,500 feet.

Adaptation

Fourwing saltbush is winterhardy and drought tolerant, but adaptability is dependent on seed origin. Flooding is detrimental, and fourwing requires good drainage. Although deep, silty to clayey soils of slightly basic pH are preferred, fourwing saltbush has wide adaptability to soils, and grows on soils ranging from sand to clay. Tolerance to salinity and alkalinity are good. It grows in areas with a mean annual precipitation of less than 6 inches to about 15 inches. It is often found growing in association with black greasewood, shadscale, Nuttall's saltbush, winterfat or big sagebrush.

Establishment

This shrub can be established by direct seeding or by transplants, but usually it reproduces by seed. The seed is contained in utricles that turn a dull yellow when ripe and may remain attached to the plant through winter. The utricle has four distinct wings. Intact utricles number about 23,000 per pound, while it takes about 52,000 clean dewinged seeds to equal a pound.

Seed should be planted at 13 pounds per acre PLS in pure stands and about 1 pound per acre in range mixtures. There is no prechill requirement and seed is best planted in spring when the soil temperature approaches 25 C. Warmer temperatures increase mold problems and drastically reduce germina-tion. The seedlings are vigorous and survive well, but resistance to insects and disease is poor, and tolerance to shading is only fair.

Management and Care

Fourwing saltbush can be grazed from late spring through the growing season into the winter, but maximum plant performance will be better maintained if it is used as winter forage only. Fourwing saltbush tolerates grazing well, although it will decrease in abundance under continued close grazing. Ordinarily, no injury to livestock results from grazing this species under range conditions. However, when eaten liberally, it can cause bloat and scours.

Uses

Fourwing saltbush is a highly palatable forage for livestock and game. It is used primarily in the winter at which time it is high in carotene and averages about four percent digestible protein. Leaves may be as high as 18 percent total protein.