Salsola

Salsola
Salsola oppositifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Subfamily:	Salsoloideae
Genus:	Salsola L.
Species
24-25 species; see text.

Salsola stocksii

Salsola stocksii, insect pollination

Salsola is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. A common name of various members of this genus (and related genera) is saltwort, for its salt tolerance.

Description

The species of Salsola are mostly subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees, rarely annuals. The leaves are mostly alternate, rarely opposite, simple and entire. The bisexual flowers have 5 tepals and 5 stamens. The pistil ends in two stigmas. The fruit is spherical, with a spiral embryo and lacking a perisperm.^{[1] [2][3]}

Systematics

The genus name Salsola was first published in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum . Type species is Salsola soda L..

The genus Salsola belongs to Tribus Salsoleae s.s. of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. Based on molecular phylogenetic research of Akhani et al. 2007 ^[4], the extremely species-rich genus in its former circumscription was completely re-classified (see under Salsoloideae).
Synonyms of Salsola s.s. are: Darniella Maire & Weiller, Fadenia Aellen & Townsend, Neocaspia Tzvelev, Hypocylix Wol., Seidlitzia Bunge ex Boiss., Salsola sect. Coccosalsola Fenzl subsect. Coccosalsola and Salsola sect. Obpyrifolia Botsch. & Akhani.

The genus Salsola s.s. comprises since Akhani et al. 2007 ^[4] 24-25 species:

• Salsola acutifolia (Bunge.) Botsch.
• Salsola cruciata Chevall. ex Batt. & Traubut
• Salsola cyrenaica (Maire & Weiller) Brullo
• Salsola drummondii Ulbr.
• Salsola florida (M.Bieb.) Poir.
• Salsola foliosa (L.) Schrad.
• Salsola grandis Freitag, Vural & N.Adigüzel
• Salsola glomerata (Maire) Brullo
• Salsola gymnomaschala Maire
• Salsola kerneri (Wol.) Botsch.
• Salsola longifolia Forssk.
• Salsola makranica Freitag
• Salsola melitensis Botsch.
• Salsola oppositifolia Desf.
• Salsola papillosa Willk.
• Salsola rosmarinus (Ehrenb. ex Boiss.) Akhani (Basionym: Seidlitzia rosmarinus Ehrenb. ex Boiss.)
• Salsola schweinfurthii Solms-Laub.
• Salsola setifera (Moq.) Akhani (Basionym: Anabasis setifera Moq.)
• Salsola sinaica Brullo
• Salsola soda L.
• Salsola stocksii Boiss.
• Salsola tunetana Brullo
• Salsola verticillata Schousboe
• Salsola zygophylla Batt. & Traub.
• Salsola zygophylloides (Aellen & Townsend) Akhani (Basionym: Fadenia zygophylloides Aellen & Townsend)

Distribution

The genus Salsola (s.s.) is distributed in Central-Asia and Southwest-Asia, North-Africa and the Mediterranean. ^[4]

Uses

harvested Salsola soda.

Salsola soda, known in Italy as "Barba di Frate" or "Agretti", ca be used as vegetable, with the young leaves and shoots beeing cooked. Salsola soda is also used for the production of potash. ^[5]

References

1. ^ Sergei L. Mosyakin: Salsola in Flora of North America, Volume 4, 2004: Online.
2. ^ Gelin Zhu, Sergei L. Mosyakin & Steven E. Clemants: Chenopodiaceae in Flora of China, Volume 5, S. 402: Salsola s. l. - Online.
3. ^ H. Freitag, I. C. Hedge, S. M. H. Jafri, G. Kothe-Heinrich, S. Omer & P. Uotila: Chenopodiaceae in Flora of Pakistan: Salsola s. l. - Online.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Hossein Akhani, Gerald Edwards & Eric H. Roalson: Diversification Of The Old World Salsoleae S.L. (Chenopodiaceae): Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of Nuclear And Chloroplast Data Sets And A Revised Classification, in: International Journal of Plant Sciences, 168 (6), 2007, p. 931–956: PDF-Online.
5. ^ Salsola soda at Plants for a Future.

External Links

• Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum, 1, 1753 , S. 222 (First publication of genus)