It is classed by A. A. Nichol as one of the major plants of the Paloverde-Bur-sage-Cacti plant association, one of the three plant communities of the Sonoran Desert.
Bur-sage is one of the favorite foods of burros and sheep, and is said to be preferred also by horses.
GREEN
Suaeda torreyana
Common names: INKWEED, SEEPWEED, IODINEBUSH, (QUELITE-SALADO) Arizona and Texas deserts: (Suaeda suffrutescens). Greenish. March-July. California desert: (Suaeda torreyana). Greenish. July-September. Goosefoot family. Size: Up to 6 feet tall, and branching.
Seepweed, which is usually an indicator of alkaline soil, is browsed to some extent by cattle when other feed is scarce. The young plants are used for greens by the Pimas and other desert Indians, sometimes eaten with cactus fruits. Pinole was made by roasting the seeds. Coahuila Indians extracted from the plants a black dye which they used in art work.
Flowers of the Seepweed are small, greenish, and without petals. Since the pollen is carried by the wind, color to attract insects to the flowers is not necessary. Because of its tolerance for somewhat salty or alkaline soils, Seepweed thrives along the margins of dry lakes and on salt flats where moisture is near the surface. On the desert of southern California it is often associated with Mesquite and Quailbrush, the sooty-green to brown plants standing out in sharp contrast.
Because it is so common in moist locations throughout the Southwest, and sufficiently unusual in appearance to arouse curiosity as to its identity, Seepweed is included in this publication regardless of the fact that its flowers are small and inconspicuous.
GREEN