Click on any image to open the slideshow
Salsola kali var. pontica
Russian Thistle
Saltwort
Prickly Russian Thistle
Not native to Florida
An occasional bushy herb of beaches along the east coast of Florida and the central panhandle. The range includes most of the United States coasts except Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Washington state. Native to Eurasia.
Salsola has alternate spine-tipped linear leaves 1-2mm (~1/16 in.) wide. Flowers appear in the axils of spine-tipped bracts. The flowers lack petals and have a calyx with five spine-tipped lobes. The perianth has prominently winged bracteoles in the pontica subspecies. The fruit is a utricle enclosed in the caylx.
Salsola kali is a member of the Amaranthaceae - Amaranth family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Oct 22, 2021
