Last edited on 1 Nov 2026. View history

Red Orach

Atriplex hortensis

A variety of orach

An orach with magenta leaves, eaten like spinach raw or cooked, with small leaves best raw. One of the seven vegetables that our ancestors were eating several thousand years ago. Self seeds easily. Direct sow in spring without covering the seed, or sow in trays at 2.5 cm spacing, also uncovered, prick out at the first two leaves and transplant at 6 cm high at 30 cm diagonal spacing. From Christchurch.

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Red orach facts

Lifespan

Annual living and reproducing in a single year or less

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Ecological requirements

Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Atriplex hortensis L.

Family / Taxonomy Magnoliopsida
Caryophyllidae
Caryophyllales
Chenopodiaceae
Optimal temperature 12 - 28 °C
Absolute temperature 3 - 36 °C
Optimal rainfall 500 - 800 mm/year
Absolute rainfall 300 - 1400 mm/year
Optimal soil pH 6.5 - 7.5
Absolute soil pH 5.0 - 8.2
Crop cycle 120 - 150 days
Max altitude 1000 m
Life form herb
Life span annual
Habit erect
Optimal soil depth medium (50-150 cm)
Optimal soil texture light
Optimal soil fertility low
Optimal soil drainage well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry)
Optimal soil salinity medium (4-10 dS/m)
Photoperiod short day (<12 hours)
Optimal light very bright

Licensed under CC-BY-4.0 .

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) ECOCROP, the crop ecological requirements database. Version 1. https://data.apps.fao.org/catalog/dataset/ecocrop. Accessed through the CGIAR Climate Action Data Hub, https://cgiar-climate-data-hub.github.io/catalog/ecocrop_1/.

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