prickly Russian thistle
Family
ChenopodiaceaeScientific Name
Salsola tragus
Other Common Names:
Russian thistle
common saltwort
salsola
tumbelweed
windwitch
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Salsola kali
Salsola ruthenica
Salsola iberica
Salsola pestifer
Salsola australis
Kali tragus
Habit
Grows upright to 3' tall from a brittle taproot. Branches freely and often.
Leaves
Fleshy, alternately arranged leaves are up to an inch long and get smaller up the stem. Leaves are narrow and sometimes have fine hairs.
Identifying Characteristics
This plant's dispersal mechanism is a fundamental characteristic. In the fall, the central stem can become quite woody and brittle near the base, making it break off easily in the wind. Because of its many branches, it can tumble around in the wind and become tangled up with other tumbleweeds, growing larger as it disperses itself across the landscape.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers typically develop in solitary, replacing leaves at the axils near the top of the plant and forming a small spike at the topmost bud. Flowers are small, flanked by a pair of spiny bracts and having a 5-parted calyx that develops wings. Flowers from June to the first frost.
Seed Fruit
Seeds are flat discs or cones. Quite small, seeds can number in the hundreds of thousands per plant.
Where Found
Native to Eurasia, but now widespread in North America, especially in the Upper Midwest and West. Grows well in arid or salty areas, and is commonly found in fields and disturbed grasslands.
Growth Habit
Varies:
upright and nonwoody,
woody bush or tree
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
pencil
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
white,
red,
pink
Flower Symmetry
bilateral symmetry
Leaf Hairs
Varies:
has hairs,
no hairs
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
none
Stem Hairs
Varies:
has hairs,
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
taproot
Life Cycle
summer annual
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb