Common name: Bladder Saltbush
Atriplex vesicaria Heward ex Benth. APNI* 
Description: Perennial erect or decumbent shrub, dioecious.
Leaves elliptic, obovate or oblong, to c. 25 mm long; margins entire or less commonly sinuate; petiolate.
Inflorescences spike-like or the females in axillary clusters.
Fruiting bracteoles almost orbicular, 6–14 mm long; appendage mostly present, large and inflated or small and tooth-like.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread in various habitats in drier areas.
NSW subdivisions: CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Vic. N.T. S.A. W.A.
A number of subspecies have been recognized. At this stage there does appear some justification in this although full distributional data have yet to be gathered. The following key is after Wilson (1984).
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the subspecies | |
| 1 | Bladder appendages almost as large as bracteoles or larger, often fused to each other below bracteoles and around stipe | 2 |
| Bladder appendages smaller than bracteoles or absent, never fused to each other | 3 |
| 2 | Bladder appendages fused to bracteole near centre | subsp. macrocystidia |
| Bladder appendages fused to bracteole near margin
Back to 1 | subsp. sphaerocarpa |
| 3 | Plants usually <60 cm high | 4 |
| Plants usually >60 cm high. Leaves narrow-elliptic, <6 mm wide, apex acute to obtuse, margins entire
Back to 1 | subsp. calcicola |
| 4 | Leaves c. 10 mm long, 2 mm wide | subsp. minor |
| Leaves 20–30 mm long, 3–5 mm wide
Back to 3 | subsp. vesicaria |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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