Salsola kali subsp. ruthenica

(Iljin.) Soó.

Prickly Russian thistle

Amaranthaceae Edible: Leaves, Seeds, Seedlings 7,066 iNaturalist observations

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Meise Botanic Garden

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Meise Botanic Garden

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Meise Botanic Garden

Summary

Source: Wikipedia

Salsola kali is the restored botanical name for a species of flowering plants in the amaranth family that has been treated as Kali turgidum. It is native to Macaronesia, and from the Atlantic coasts of Europe to the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean (although it has been introduced elsewhere). It is an annual plant which grows primarily in the temperate biome, in salty sandy coastal soils. It is commonly known as prickly saltwort or prickly glasswort. In dry inland places it is replaced by Salsola tragus (syn. Kali tragus or Salsola kali subsp. tragus), which is less tolerant to salty soils, and has spread more widely from Eurasia to other continents. Salsola kali is less widespread as an introduced species in America.

Description

An annual herb of the Amaranthaceae family growing 30–100 cm tall, native to arid and semi-arid regions. It is highly salt- and drought-tolerant, thriving in sandy, rocky, alkaline soils and saline environments including seashores.

Edible Uses

The leaves, seeds, and seedlings are edible.

Distribution

It can tolerate frost. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 200-500 mm per year. It can grow in dry, alkaline and salty soils. It can grow in arid places. It grows in very sandy places, rocky Gobi, seashores.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Belarus, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Libya, Asia, Manchuria, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Moldova, Mongolia, North Africa, North America, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Sweden, Ukraine, USA,

Notes

Also put in the family Chenopodiaceae.

Synonyms

Salsola pestifer A. NelsonSalsola tenuifolia Tausch

Also Known As

Ci sha peng

References (7)

BARANOV, (As Salsola ruthenica)
Flora of Australia, Volume 4, Phytolaccaceae to Chenopodiaceae, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra (1984) p 314 (As Salsola ruthenica)
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 8th April 2011]
R. Soo & S. A. Javorka, Magyar Nov. Kez. 2:786. 1951

Show all 7 references

Weeds USSR 2:137, fig. 127. 1934 (As Salsola ruthenica)
Zhu Gelin (Chu Ge-ling); Steven E. Clemants, CHENOPODIACEAE [Draft], Flora of China (As Salsola ruthenica)