E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Salsola tragus L.
Russian thistle
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
(Previously in Chenopodiaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Gordon Neish  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #46880)

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Distribution of Salsola tragus
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a fibrous root; stems ascending, solitary, freely branched, glabrous to hairy, purplish, 0.1-1.0 m tall, becoming hardened, ridged and rounded in late summer, then breaking at groundlevel to form "tumbleweeds".
Leaves:
Stem leaves alternate, linear, entire, succulent, spiny at the tip, reduced upward but broadened at the base, merging with papery-margined bracts.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of solitary or clustered flowers in the axils of the spiny bracts; calyces 5-parted, becoming winged or keeled on the back.
Fruits:
Thin, papery-walled, membranous envelopes, flattened, purplish, winged with prominent veins, cup-shaped.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry roadsides, fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones, frequent in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Salsola tragus

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 279 525 890
Slope Gradient (%) 0 22 70
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		23 214 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 2 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 36
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BG
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(32), IDF(2), PP(2)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Salsola australis R. Br.
Salsola iberica (Sennen & Pau) Botsch. ex Czerep.
Salsola kali L.
Salsola kali subsp. ruthenica (Iljin) Soó
Salsola kali subsp. tenuifolia Moq.
Salsola kali subsp. tragus (L.) Celak.
Salsola pestifer A. Nelson
Salsola ruthenica Iljin

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Amaranthaceae
Flora North America treatment for Chenopodiaceae (Previous Family)
 Flora North America treatment for Salsola tragus
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-13 12:38:55 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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