Wikipedia Article About Red Orach on Wikipedia Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (or orach). The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. The genus includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments. Saltbushes are extremely tolerant of salt content in the ground: their name derives from the fact that they retain salt in their leaves, which makes them of great use in areas affected by soil salination. Many species are edible. However, the favored species for human consumption is A. hortensis.