Mediterranean saltbush (Atriplex halimus L.) as an ornamental species for arid environments.

The genus Atriplex belongs to the family of Chenopodiaceae and includes herbaceous and woody species. Among these the Atriplex halimus L. is a perennial evergreen shrub, which spreads in the Mediterranean, Canaries and South-West Atlantic European coasts. A. halimus grows on sandy soils. It is resistant to high levels of salinity and shows a very deep root system well adapted to arid conditions. The evergreen character of the species, the strong aptitude to develop axillary shoots, the high resistance to aridity and salinity makes the species particularly interesting as ornamental for low input environments. Being very rustic and resistant to various environmental stresses, A. halimus is well suited to the establishment of hedges, along avenues, roads and in the gardens of coastal zones. Phenotypic characters of the species A. halimus L. showed a high variability. This variability needs more evaluation at least in the regions where the species grows spontaneously, like Sardinia. Among the most interesting characters of A. halimus as ornamental we observe: the size of the plant, in order to use them as garden shrub; the canopy shape (prostrate, compact or upright); the leaf shape (sub-triangular, obovate or elliptic), colour and size; the length of inflorescences (between 10 and 50 cm); some aspects of the phenology, like shoot development, flowering and leaf falling distribution. Resistance to aridity and associated resistance to salinity have been confirmed during the germplasm collection of A. halimus in Sardinia. In order to have an objective description of phenotypic characters, both in the phase of harvest of accessions in the land and in the further description of selected lines in the repository, the study of the genetic resources of the species will be performed by means of the compilation of a specific Descriptor list.