Salsola is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
s,
subshrubA subshrub is a short woody plant. It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting only for a few years...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, and small
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s in the family
ChenopodiaceaeChenopodiaceae is a family of flowering plants. Although widely recognized in most plant classifications , the APG system and the APG II system have included these plants in the family Amaranthaceae on the basis of evidence from molecular phylogenies...
, native to
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
,
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. Plants in this genus typically grow on flat, often dry and/or somewhat
salineSalinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
soils, with some species in
saltmarshA salt marsh is a type of marsh that is a transitional intertidal between land and salty or brackish water . It is dominated by halophytic herbaceous plants. Historically, salt marshes have sometimes been treated as "wastelands", along with other wetlands...
es. A few species are
tumbleweedA tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, separates from the root and tumbles away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert...
s. Recent genetic studies have however shown that the genus as traditionally circumscribed is paraphyletic, and many species are likely to be transferred to other genera in the future.
Common names of various members of this genus include
tumbleweedTumbleweed may refer to:Plants*Tumbleweed, a kind of plant habit or structure*Plants with "tumbleweed" in a common name*Amaranthus albus*Amaranthus graecizans...
, for its wind-blown seed dispersal habit;
saltwortSaltwort is a common name for several genera of flowering plants, including:*Batis, family Bataceae*Salicornia and Salsola, family Amaranthaceae*Salsola kali, prickly saltwort...
, for its salt tolerance; and
Tartar thistle and
Russian thistleRussian thistle is a common name that can refer to:*Salsola, some species, including:*Salsola kali, also known as prickly saltwort*Salsola soda, oppositeleaf Russian thistle*Echinops exaltatus, Russian globe thistle...
for its origins, although it is not a
thistleThistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant - on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
.
The
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
and
shootShoots are new plant growth, they can include stems, flowering stems with flower buds, leaves. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop...
s of many species are edible, especially when young and tender, and some are grown as
vegetableA vegetable is an edible plant or part of a plant. However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables,...
s, often used for
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
s,
sushiIn Japanese cuisine, ' is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish. In spelling sushi its first letter s is replaced with z when a prefix is attached, as in nigirizushi, due to consonant mutation called rendaku in Japanese.Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as...
, or as a garnish.
Salsola is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
s,
subshrubA subshrub is a short woody plant. It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting only for a few years...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, and small
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s in the family
ChenopodiaceaeChenopodiaceae is a family of flowering plants. Although widely recognized in most plant classifications , the APG system and the APG II system have included these plants in the family Amaranthaceae on the basis of evidence from molecular phylogenies...
, native to
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
,
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. Plants in this genus typically grow on flat, often dry and/or somewhat
salineSalinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
soils, with some species in
saltmarshA salt marsh is a type of marsh that is a transitional intertidal between land and salty or brackish water . It is dominated by halophytic herbaceous plants. Historically, salt marshes have sometimes been treated as "wastelands", along with other wetlands...
es. A few species are
tumbleweedA tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, separates from the root and tumbles away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert...
s. Recent genetic studies have however shown that the genus as traditionally circumscribed is paraphyletic, and many species are likely to be transferred to other genera in the future.
Common names of various members of this genus include
tumbleweedTumbleweed may refer to:Plants*Tumbleweed, a kind of plant habit or structure*Plants with "tumbleweed" in a common name*Amaranthus albus*Amaranthus graecizans...
, for its wind-blown seed dispersal habit;
saltwortSaltwort is a common name for several genera of flowering plants, including:*Batis, family Bataceae*Salicornia and Salsola, family Amaranthaceae*Salsola kali, prickly saltwort...
, for its salt tolerance; and
Tartar thistle and
Russian thistleRussian thistle is a common name that can refer to:*Salsola, some species, including:*Salsola kali, also known as prickly saltwort*Salsola soda, oppositeleaf Russian thistle*Echinops exaltatus, Russian globe thistle...
for its origins, although it is not a
thistleThistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant - on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
.
Uses
The
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
and
shootShoots are new plant growth, they can include stems, flowering stems with flower buds, leaves. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop...
s of many species are edible, especially when young and tender, and some are grown as
vegetableA vegetable is an edible plant or part of a plant. However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables,...
s, often used for
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
s,
sushiIn Japanese cuisine, ' is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish. In spelling sushi its first letter s is replaced with z when a prefix is attached, as in nigirizushi, due to consonant mutation called rendaku in Japanese.Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as...
, or as a garnish. The most commonly eaten European species is
Salsola sodaSalsola soda, more commonly known in English as Opposite Leaved Saltwort, Oppositeleaf Russian Thistle, or Barilla Plant, is a small , annual, succulent shrub that is native to the Mediterranean Basin...
known in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
as
Barba di Frate or
Agretti. In
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
,
S. komarovii is a crop of moderate importance, known locally as
okahijiki (literally "land
hijikiis a brown sea vegetable growing wild on rocky coastlines around Japan, Korea, and China. Its two names, which are examples of ateji, mean deer-tail grass and sheep-nest grass respectively....
").
The seeds are also edible, although difficult to collect in quantity, and are sometimes ground into
flourFlour is a powder made of cereal grains or roots. It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many civilizations, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
.
Salsola species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
The NutmegThe Nutmeg , also known as the Clover Cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe although in the north of its range it is a summer migrant, not being able to survive the cold winters....
and the
ColeophoraColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
case-bearers
C. klimeschiella,
C. parthenica,
C. poeciliella (recorded on
S. oppositifolia) and
C. salsolella (feeds exclusively on
S. vermiculata).
Invasive species
Several species, but most notably the central Asian
S. tragus, are
invasive'Invasive species' is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically...
outside their native range. They have become particularly abundant in parts of
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
, where they are listed as noxious weeds by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The salt-tolerant genus was first reported in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
around 1877 in
Bon Homme County, South DakotaBon Homme County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of 2000, the population is 7,260. Its county seat is Tyndall.Bon Homme County is the point of origin for the Siberian alien, Salsola kali, a type of tumbleweed, first reported here in 1877, probably introduced in a...
, apparently transported as a stowaway in
flaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. This is called as Agasi/Akshi in Kannada, Jawas/Javas or Alashi in Marathi...
seed imported by
UkrainianUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
farmers. South Dakota proved too harsh and dry for growing
flaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. This is called as Agasi/Akshi in Kannada, Jawas/Javas or Alashi in Marathi...
, but, by 1900,
Salsola had colonized as far west as the Pacific Coast. It was also actively introduced by the U.S.D.A., under the impression that
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
might be induced to eat it in hard times during droughts. Palatability of the young shoots is considered to be fair. Cattle, sheep, and
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s will eat it, if nothing better is available. Small
rodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s and
PronghornThe Pronghorn , is a species of ungulate mammal native to interior western and central North America. Though not a true antelope, it is often known colloquially as the Prong Buck, Pronghorn Antelope or simply Antelope , as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar...
also graze on the young shoots.
Salsola thrives wherever land use has disturbed the
soilSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
. It can be seen in Death Valley, California, and in
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
at elevations of 8500 feet (2600 m).
Tumbleweeds
Several annual species form
tumbleweedA tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, separates from the root and tumbles away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert...
s: after the plant dries it breaks away from its
taprootTaproot is an enlarged somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
and is driven by the
windWind is the flow of air or other gases that compose an atmosphere . On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air...
as a light, rolling mass, scattering
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s far and wide. The seeds are produced in large numbers and do not have a protective coating or food reserves for the coiled plant embryos. The deep, ineradicable taproot remains in the ground and survives to grow again the following season.
Salsola species with this habit include
Salsola iberica and
Salsola tragus.
Salsola tragus has naturalized to the point where it is regarded by many American people as native, changing the North American
Great PlainsThe Great Plains are the broad expanse of prairie and steppe which lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
plant community forever. It is controlled with mass applications of
herbicideA herbicide is a substance used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant hormones...
s. Tumbleweeds of this species are such a common symbol in Westerns, where they are used to indicate an abandoned area, that they are generally associated with the
American Old WestThe American Old West comprises the history, geography, peoples, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the period of the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
and Western films, despite the species' Ukrainian origin.
In science and media
A Belgian group of researchers has recently found a molecular compound on the Namibian
Salsola tubercultiformis shrub, which seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect equivalent to
DexamethasoneDexamethasone is a potent synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid hormones. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant...
, without having the same type of side-effects commonly associated with Dexamethasone and
CortisoneCortisone is a steroid hormone. Chemically, it is a corticosteroid closely related to corticosterone.-History:...
treatments. This compound, so far only known as compound A, holds some promise as basis for the development of treatments for
rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing an inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints...
and autoimmune conditions
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
purchased a number of tumbleweeds to study their movement during the development of the
Mars TumbleweedA Mars rover is a spacecraft which propels itself across the surface of Mars after landing.Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny positions to weather winter months and ...
rover. In film and television shows, a tumbleweed blowing across a scene can be used to indicate a deserted location or to emphasize an awkward silence.
A tumbleweed, or "Tartar thistle," serves as a metaphor and introduction to the story of Hadji Murat in
TolstoyTolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from one Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
's
Hadji Murat.
List of species
More than 100 species have been proposed by botanists as belonging to
Salsola. A partial listing of these species is given below. As of 2007, only six of these species (
S. collini Pallas,
S. kaliSalsola kali is an annual plant that grows in arid soils and in sandy coastal soils. Its original range is Eurasian, but it has become naturalized, and even invasive, in North America, Australia, and elsewhere...
L.,
S. paulsenii Litv.,
S. sodaSalsola soda, more commonly known in English as Opposite Leaved Saltwort, Oppositeleaf Russian Thistle, or Barilla Plant, is a small , annual, succulent shrub that is native to the Mediterranean Basin...
L.,
S. tragus L., and
S. vermiculata L.) are listed as "reviewed" by the
Global Biodiversity Information FacilityThe Global Biodiversity Information Facility is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around the world; GBIF's information architecture makes these data...
.
- S. abrotanoides
- S. affinis
- S. aperta
- S. arbuscula
- S. arbusculiformis
- S. australis
- S. brachiata
- S. canescens
- S. chinghaiensis
- S. chorassanica
- S. collina
- S. crassa
- S. cyclophylla
- S. damascena
- S. dendroides
- S. drummondii
|
S. dshungarica
S. ferganica
S. foliosa
S. griffithii
S. heptapotamica
S. iberica
S. ikonnikovii
S. imbricata
S. implicata
S. incanescens
S. jacquemontii
S. junatovii
S. kaliSalsola kali is an annual plant that grows in arid soils and in sandy coastal soils. Its original range is Eurasian, but it has become naturalized, and even invasive, in North America, Australia, and elsewhere...
S. komarovii
S. korshinskyi
S. lanata |
S. laricifolia
S. makranica
S. micranthera
S. monoptera
S. montana
S. nepalensis
S. nitraria
S. orientalis
S. passerina
S. paulsenii
S. pellucida
S. pestifer
S. praecox
S. richteri
S. rosacea
S. rubescens |
S. sativa (see HalogetonHalogeton is a plant genus for which 6 species are presently proposed. The species are annual plants which are tolerant of fairly saline soils; the genus name, Halogeton, derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."...
)
S. sclerantha
S. sinkiangensis
S. sodaSalsola soda, more commonly known in English as Opposite Leaved Saltwort, Oppositeleaf Russian Thistle, or Barilla Plant, is a small , annual, succulent shrub that is native to the Mediterranean Basin...
S. subcrassa
S. sukaczevii
S. tamariscina
S. tomentosa
S. tragus
S. turkestanica
S. vermiculata
S. verrucosa
S. zaidamica |