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Salsola kali
Also called Saltwort, Classwort, Khakibush, Prickly glasswort, Prickly saltwort, Rolypoly, Rush-and-tumble weed
Russian thistle (Salsola kali) is a spiny annual in the amaranth family that grows on sandy, salty coastal soils. It tumbles and spreads by seed when dry, and is often a weed in disturbed ground.
Salsola kali is the restored botanical name for a species of flowering plants in the amaranth family that has been treated as Kali turgidum. It is native to Macaronesia, and from the Atlantic coasts of Europe to the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean (although it has been introduced elsewhere). It is an annual plant which grows primarily in the temperate biome, in salty sandy coastal soils. It is commonly known as prickly saltwort or prickly glasswort.
In dry inland places it is replaced by Salsola tragus (syn. Kali tragus or Salsola kali subsp. tragus), which is less tolerant to salty soils, and has spread more widely from Eurasia to other continents. Salsola kali is less widespread as an introduced species in America.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salsola kali by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
