Flora of North America species comparison

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Salsola soda

alkali Russian thistle, oppositeleaf Russian thistle
Habit Herbs, 5–70 cm, glabrous.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched from base or nearly so;

branches straight or slightly arcuate (proximal ones sometimes almost prostrate).
Leaves

(especially proximal ones) mostly opposite;

blade linear, usually more than 1.5 mm wide in herbarium specimens, fleshy, distinctly swollen or ovate at base, apex mucronulate, not spinose.
Inflorescences

distinctly interrupted, 1-flowered;

bracts alternate or almost opposite, not imbricate, horizontally reflexed at maturity, swollen at base, abruptly narrowing into mucronulate nonspinose apex.
Flowers

bracteoles distinct, not adnate to perianth segments;

perianth segments wingless or with rudimental triangular tubercles at maturity, margins crenate or pectinate-ciliate apically, glabrous; fruiting perianth ca. 3–6(–7) mm diam. 2n = 18.

Salsola soda
Phenology Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Coastal and disturbed saline habitats
Elevation 0-50 m (0-200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced in South America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Salsola soda can be expected to spread in California, or to appear in inland or coastal saline habitats in southern states.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 402.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Salsola
Sibling taxa
S. collina, S. kali, S. paulsenii, S. tragus, S. vermiculata
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 233. (1753)
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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