Salsola soda
Salsola paulsenii
alkali Russian thistle, oppositeleaf Russian thistle
barbwire Russian-thistle, Paulsen's Russian thistle
erect or ascending, branched from base or nearly so;
branches straight or slightly arcuate (proximal ones sometimes almost prostrate).
erect, rarely ascending or prostrate, profusely branched from or near base (rarely simple in underdeveloped specimens);
branches straight or arcuate.
(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.
alternate;
blade filiform to narrowly linear, usually less than 1 mm wide, occasionally to 2 mm wide in herbarium specimens, fleshy or not, not swollen at base, apex subspinose or spinescent.
distinctly interrupted, 1-flowered;
bracts alternate or almost opposite, not imbricate, horizontally reflexed at maturity, swollen at base, abruptly narrowing into mucronulate nonspinose apex.
distinctly interrupted at maturity, 1-flowered (rarely 2–3-flowered with lateral flowers mostly abortive);
bracts alternate, not imbricate, strongly reflexed at maturity, base not distinctly swollen, narrowing into spinose apex.
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.
bracteoles spreading or reflexed, distinct or connate near base, spinescent;
perianth segments prominently winged (two wings usually reduced to small, almost subulate winglike appendages), apex long-acuminate or long-subulate and spinose, forming slender columnar beak distal to wings at maturity, glabrous; fruiting perianth 7–12 mm diam. 2n = 36.
Salsola soda
Salsola paulsenii
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.)
Salsola paulsenii may be expected in the future also in New Mexico and Texas, as well as in some Great Plains states. It was first reported from North America by P. A. Munz (1968). Additional details of distribution and morphology of this species have been discussed by J. C. Beatley (1973c), T. C. Fuller (1986), and S. Rilke (1999).
Salsola paulsenii is weakly differentiated from S. tragus sensu stricto. Intermediate forms between them seem to be more common along margins of the natural range of the species and in secondary, synanthropic localities. According to S. Rilke (1999), the hybrids S. paulsenii × S. tragus are identical with S. ×gobicola Iljin. Forms conventionally named as “Salsola X” and “S. paulsenii lax form” with 2n = 54 (H. L. Arnold 1972; F. J. Ryan and D. R. Ayres 2000) are probably also of hybrid origin.
Reports of chromosome number 2n = 18 for Salsola paulsenii are probably erroneous and based on misinterpretation of data provided by N. L. Semiotrocheva (1983).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
