Saltwort Flower | Salsola Kali | Desert Flower

Kingdom	Order	Family	Genus	Species
Plantae	Caryophyllales	Amaranthaceae	Salsola	Salsola kali

Saltwort Flower Characteristics

Saltwort is an annual herb from the Amaranth family. It is a low herb that can grow to 5-50 cm tall.

Glasswort

The stems of the Saltwort are erect. The young stems are red or purple with stripes.
The Saltw0rt is highly branched. The branches of the plant are arcuate. Other branches are almost prostrate.
The leaves of the Saltwort are fleshy, simple, lobed or unlobed, and alternate. The leaf blades are entire. The leaves are 1-2 mm wide.
The flowers of the Saltwort are radially symmetrical and possess 5 tepals fused into a cup or tube. Usually, there is one flower per axil of the bract.

Russian Thistle

Saltwort Facts

Salsola^[1] comes from the Latin Salsus, which means “salty, ” and kali means ashes of a sodium-rich plant.
The prickly Saltwort is not a halophyte. The plant prefers sand further from the shore.
Saltwort contains 5% oxalic acid^[2]. Therefore, this plant must be eaten in moderation because oxalic acid can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
The stem extracts of Salsola kali^[3] are found to have effective antimicrobial activity against many human pathogens.
In Europe and North America, the pollen inhalation of Salsola kali^[4] is a common cause of respiratory diseases. Research using the modified vaccine of S. kali pollen is proven effective and safe in treating patients with pollen sensitivity.

Tumbleweed

Suggested Reading: Kinds of FlowersCite This Page

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BioExplorer.net. (2024, December 01). Saltwort. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/plants/flowers/saltwort/.

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BioExplorer.net. "Saltwort" Bio Explorer, December 01 2024. https://www.bioexplorer.net/plants/flowers/saltwort/.

Key References

^[1] – “Prickly Saltwort, Salsola kali – Flowers – NatureGate”. Accessed September 11, 2022. Link.
^[2] – “Salsola kali Saltwort, Russian thistle PFAF Plant Database”. Accessed September 11, 2022. Link.
^[3] – “Biological activities and phytochemical analysis of phenolic extracts from Salsola kali L.. Role of endogenous factors in the selection of the best plant extracts – ScienceDirect”. Accessed September 11, 2022. Link.
^[4] – “Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with a modified therapeutic vaccine of Salsola kali (Russian thistle) administered through use of a cluster schedule – ScienceDirect”. Accessed September 11, 2022. Link.

Saltwort