Gewöhnliche Melde vs Strandmelde

Atriplex patula compared with Atriplex littoralis

Key Differences

• Gewöhnliche Melde is Least Concern while Strandmelde is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gewöhnliche Melde	Strandmelde
Kingdom same	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Caryophyllales (Nelkenartige)	Caryophyllales (Nelkenartige)
Family same	Amaranthaceae	Amaranthaceae
Genus same	Atriplex	Atriplex
Species	Atriplex patula	Atriplex littoralis

Evolutionary Relationship

Gewöhnliche Melde and Strandmelde share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Atriplex.

Conservation Status

Gewöhnliche Melde

LC — Least Concern

Strandmelde

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gewöhnliche Melde	Strandmelde
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gewöhnliche Melde

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia), Europe (13 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Chile).

Strandmelde

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Gewöhnliche Melde

<em>Atriplex patula</em> is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, distributed across Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, and Chile. It typically colonizes disturbed habitats, coastal areas, salt marshes, roadsides, agricultural fields, and waste ground, tolerating saline soils that many other species cannot withstand. The species is halophytic, possessing physiological adaptations for salt tolerance, including salt-excreting glands on its leaves. Its range extends across Georgia in Asia, thirteen European countries, and introduced populations in North America, Australia, and South America. Orache produces small, inconspicuous flowers and characteristic mealy-textured leaves. It is sometimes used as a leafy vegetable in traditional cuisine across parts of its native range. The IUCN lists this species as Least Concern given its widespread occurrence and adaptability to multiple habitat types. Biological traits including average lifespan, body measurements, and detailed dietary ecology remain poorly documented in standardized databases for this weedy annual species. <em>Atriplex patula</em> plays a functional role in stabilizing disturbed soils and contributing to coastal and ruderal plant communities across its broad distribution.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States