Slender Saltwort

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©Chris Lindorff CC2.5, Chris Lindorff CC2.5, Richard Hartland CC-BY

Salsola tragus subsp. tragus


Spreading, erect to rounded, succulent annual, herb, 0.4-0.6 m high. A little bristly on leaf edges and stems. Leaves alternate and numerous, 5-40mm long, 0.5-6 mm wide, succulent, round to triangular in cross-section, and spine-tipped. Flowers tiny, greenish, without stalk, single in joins between leaf and stem. Fruiting perianth has fan-shaped wings 3-5 mm wide.


Details
Flora Type
Chenopods
Former Scientific Name
Salsola kali
Other Common Names
Prickly saltwort
Distinctive Features

Prickly rounded herb to 0.6 m.

Biology

Perennial. Introduced from Europe. Widespread in slightly saline areas.

Native Status
Native
Flowering Time

May- Oct

Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Caryophyllales
Family
Chenopodiaceae
Genus
Salsola
Species
tragus

Often breaks off at the base and disperses like a tumbleweed.


Interesting Facts
Similar Species

Several subspecies occur.

Native Status
Native