Flora of North America species comparison

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Salsola kali

common saltwort, prickly Russian thistle, Russian thistle, saltwort, tumbleweed
Habit Herbs, 5–50 cm, papillose to hispid or, occasionally, glabrous.
Stems

erect to ascending, branched from base;

branches arcuate or, occasionally, almost prostrate.
Leaves

alternate;

blade linear, mostly 1–2 mm wide in herbarium specimens, fleshy, usually not swollen at base, apex ± acuminate into rather firm, 1–1.5(–2.2) mm spine.
Inflorescences

interrupted at maturity, usually 1-flower per axil of bract;

bracts alternate, not imbricate at maturity, reflexed, not distinctly swollen at base, apex narrowing into subulate spine.
Flowers

bracteoles free or becoming connate and adnate to perianth base;

perianth segments with comparatively narrow wing or in lower flowers occasionally wingless (in S. kali subsp. pontica sometimes prominently winged), with weak or firm, acute apex, glabrous; fruiting perianth 4–6(–8) mm diam. 2n = 36.

Salsola kali
Distribution
map from FNA
AL; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; LA; MA; MD; ME; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OR; PA; RI; SC; TX; VA; NB; NF; NS; PE; QC; coastal areas of Europe; n Africa; sw Asia [Introduced and naturalized in other coastal regions]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies ca. 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Salsola
Sibling taxa
S. collina, S. paulsenii, S. soda, S. tragus, S. vermiculata
Subordinate taxa
S. kali subsp. kali, S. kali subsp. pontica
Key
1. Perianth segments with rigid, subspinose apex and prominent midvein; bracteoles distinct, not swol- len
subsp. kali
1. Perianth segments with weak apex and obscure midvein; bracteoles connate at base, swollen
subsp. pontica
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 222. (1753)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 400. Treatment author: Sergei L. Mosyakin.
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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