Not to be semantically confused with : Grass-leaved Arrowhead (Sagittaria graminea), Grass-leaved Golden-Rod (Solidago graminifolia) nor with Spear-Leaved Orache (Atriplex prostrata) [plants with similar names]

Easily mistaken for : a narrow-leaved specimen of Common Orache (Atriplex patula) which are fairly common, although most Common Oraches have at least some triangular basal leaves. The clincher though is that the leaves of Common Orache, when held up against the light, have a translucent vein (whereas those of Spear-leaved Orache are opaque). The fruits of Common Orache have a propensity for pointed-oval fruits with usually two side projections, whereas those of Spear-leaved Orache are more triangular with a flattish base and several projections each side. The two halves of the fruit are hinged very close to the base (rather than part-way up), another feature which aids identification.

Hybridizes with :

• Common Orache (Atriple patula) to produce Atriplex littoralis × patula which occurs with both parents present and is mostly sterile with lower leaves like those of Common Orache (triangular-ish)) and bracteoles which are spongy like those of Spear-leaved Orache.
• Spear-Leaved Orache (Atriplex prostrata) to produce Atriplex × hulmeana which occurs with both parents in East Anglia and Northern England and possesses spongy bracteoles and succulent lower leaves which are trullate (shaped like a brick-layers trowel or a normal kite).

It is a native and common plant which grows in sandy saline places near the sea along most coasts of the British Isles but is more common in the East. It is salt-tolerant and is also found inland on road verges which have been sprayed with salt.

The horizontal line across where the two bracteoles encasing the single seed are no longer fused is one of the few identifying features of many Oraches, so these seed pods need to be examined closely one at a time and in isolation. Pick a few up from the ground beneath the plant where ripe ones have dropped. Also note the positioning and shape and number of any lumps on the bracteoles, and the overall shape of them. Even from the same species they differ individually by quite a margin, so quite a few may have to be examined.