| Title | Orage |
| Variants | Melden |
| Caption | Atriplex patula L. spear saltbush (seeds) |
| Source | Carole Ritchie. Provided by ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory. United States, MI, Bay City, West Bay City. |
| URL | http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=atpa4_001_ahp.tif |
| Creator | Carol Ritchie |
| Type | Photograph |
| Origin | Internet |
| Notes | Hariot p.14 Dutch call this ‘hearbe’ Melden. “a kinde of Orage” seeds make thick broth, and pottage . . . burned stalk to make salt earth, especially salt for broth. “other salt they knowe not.” Melden – Wikipedia Die Melden (Atriplex) sind eine Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Fuchsschwanzgewächse (Amaranthaceae). http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melden Jaques p.146 ORACH Atriplex hortense L. closely related to spinach Bellis This plant would seem to have been a pot herb. Note similarity between words ‘orage’ and ‘orach’. Two species of Atriplex grow along the NC coast. Both occur on sand dunes and/or brackish marshes. Fruits are about 5 to 7 mm long, seeds about 2 mm. Seeds could be harvested by shaking whole mature plants over a basket. Plants grown in a salt marsh might be a good source of salt. My guess is that Hariot had encountered Atriplex patula L. (marshes) or A. arenaria Nuttall (seabeach orach). A. patula is often confused with Chenopodium, Goose foot, Pigweed. ; |
Occuring in the entry on “Melden,” this is an alternate spelling of “orache,” which the OED defines as plants belonging to genus Atriplex, which consists of various potherbs. - Matt