Photo courtesy of Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, bugwood.org Salsola
tragus L. Scientific Name Synonyms: Salsola iberica Sennen & Pau
Salsola kali L. Life Span: Winter annual Growth Characteristics:
A 1 to 3 feet tall forb, very branched and round in shape. It
can be up to 5 feet wide. At first the plant is soft and
succulent, but it becomes rigid and spiny with maturity. It
flowers July to October and reproduces from seed.
Flowers/Inflorescence: Small, papery, and inconspicuous, growing
singly or several together in the axils of the spiny leaf
clusters. The flowers are greenish to pinkish-white.
Fruits/Seeds:Seeds are round and snail-shaped, white to pink
colored. Leaves: Linear, spine-tipped, alternate, and white to
pink colored. They usually become bright red in late summer and
fall. Russian thistle is found in fields, overgrazed pastures,
roadsides, waste places, and disturbed sites. It does best on
high, dry land if other plants are not crowding it. Russian
thistle is quite drought resistant. Soils: Found on ne