Salsola

Salsola is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus sensu stricto is distributed in Australia,^[1] central and southwestern Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean.^[2] Common names of various members of this genus and related genera are saltwort (for their salt tolerance) and tumbleweed or roly-poly. The genus name Salsola is from the Latin salsus, meaning 'salty'.^[3]

Salsola
Salsola oppositifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Subfamily:	Salsoloideae
Tribe:	Salsoleae
Genus:	Salsola L.
Synonyms
Caspia Galushko Darniella Maire & Weiller Eremochion Gilli Hypocylix Woł. Isgarum Raf. Kali Mill. Neocaspia Tzvelev Physandra Botsch.

Description

The species of Salsola are mostly subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and rarely annuals. The leaves are mostly alternate, rarely opposite, simple, and entire. The bisexual flowers have five tepals and five stamens. The pistil ends in two stigmata. The fruit is spherical with a spiral embryo and no perisperm.^[3][4][5]

Systematics

The genus name Salsola was first published in 1753 by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum.^[6] The type species is Salsola soda L.

The genus Salsola belongs to the tribe Salsoleae s.s. of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus was recircumscribed in 2007 based on molecular phylogenetic research, greatly reducing the number of species.^[2] Synonyms of Salsola sensu stricto are: Darniella Maire & Weiller, Fadenia Aellen & Townsend, Neocaspia Tzvelev and Hypocylix Wol..^{[citation needed]}

Salsola stocksii

Harvested Salsola soda

Plants of the World Online includes:^[7]

1. Salsola acanthoclada Botsch.
2. Salsola africana (Brenan) Botsch.
3. Salsola algeriensis Botsch.
4. Salsola angusta Botsch.
5. Salsola australis R.Br.
6. Salsola austrotibetica Sukhor.
7. Salsola baranovii Iljin
8. Salsola basaltica (C.Brullo, Brullo, Gaskin, Giusso, Hrusa & Salmeri) C.Brullo & Brullo
9. Salsola brevifolia Desf.
10. Salsola chellalensis Botsch.
11. Salsola chinghaiensis A.J.Li
12. Salsola collina Pall.
13. Salsola cruciata L.Chevall. ex Batt. & Trab.
14. Salsola drummondii Ulbr.
15. Salsola euryphylla Botsch.
16. Salsola glomerata (Maire) Brullo
17. Salsola × gobicola Iljin
18. Salsola griffithii (Bunge) Freitag & Khani
19. Salsola gypsacea Botsch.
20. Salsola halimocnemis Botsch.
21. Salsola hartmannii Sukhor.
22. Salsola ikonnikovii Iljin
23. Salsola intramongolica H.C.Fu & Z.Y.Chu
24. Salsola jacquemontii Moq.
25. Salsola junatovii Botsch.
26. Salsola kali L.
27. Salsola komarovii Iljin
28. Salsola mairei Botsch.
29. Salsola masclansii G.Monts. & D.Gómez
30. Salsola melitensis Botsch.
31. Salsola monoptera Bunge
32. Salsola papillosa (Coss.) Willk.
33. Salsola paulsenii Litv.
34. Salsola pontica (Pall.) Iliin
35. Salsola praecox (Litv.) Litv.
36. Salsola praemontana Botsch.
37. Salsola ryanii Hrusa & Gaskin
38. Salsola sabrinae Mosyakin
39. Salsola sinkiangensis A.J.Li
40. Salsola squarrosa Steven ex Moq.
41. Salsola strobilifera (Benth.) Mosyakin
42. Salsola subglabra Botsch.
43. Salsola tamamschjanae Iljin
44. Salsola tamariscina Pall.
45. Salsola tragus L. (sometimes placed in Kali)
46. Salsola tunetana Brullo
47. Salsola turcica Yıld.
48. Salsola webbii Moq.
49. Salsola zaidamica Iljin
50. Salsola zygophylla Batt.

Excluded species: Many species formerly grouped in Salsola were excluded by Akhani et al. (2007). Some may now be classified in separate genera:^[2]

• Turania (for Salsola sect. Sogdiana)
• Xylosalsola (for Salsola sect. Coccosalsola subsect. Arbuscula)
• Caroxylon (for Salsola sect. Caroxylon)
  • Caroxylon imbricatum (Forssk.) Moq. (Syn. Salsola imbricata Forssk.)
  • Caroxylon vermiculatum (L.) Akhani & Roalson (Syn. Salsola vermiculata L.)
• Kaviria (for Salsola sect. Belanthera)

Uses

Salsola komarovii is collected in the wild and cultivated in Asia.^[8] In Namibia, where introduced Salsola species are called gannabos, they are valuable fodder plants.^[9]