Prickly Saltwort
Salsola kali
NEMBA category
English: Prickly Saltwort, Russian Thistle, Glasswort, Alkali Russian Thistle, Khakibush, Prickly Glasswort, Rolypoly, Roly-poly, Rush-and-tumble Weed, Rush-and-tumbleweed, Russian Tumbleweed, Saltwort, Tumble Weed, Tumbleweed
Afrikaans: Russiese Dissel, Brandbossie, Kakiebos, Kakiedissel, Khakibos, Rolbos, Rolbossie, Russiese Rolbossie, Silwerbossie, Tolbos, Tolbossie, Waaibos, Waaibossie
Historical scientific names: Kali turgidum, Salsola tragus
Misapplied scientific names: Salsola australis, Salsola kali subsp. austroafricana, Salsola ruthenica
Salsola kali, commonly known as Prickly Saltwort, is a bushy, often reddish-tinged annual plant that usually grows into a rounded shape. It has distinctive fleshy, narrow, and often spiny leaves that are green when young but become rigid and prickly as they mature. The plant's small, inconspicuous flowers develop into tiny, winged fruits. As it matures, the entire plant often dries out, detaches from its root, and forms a 'tumbleweed' that rolls across the landscape, scattering its seeds.
This plant is a widespread invasive species in South Africa, particularly in coastal areas, salt marshes, and disturbed or saline soils, where it quickly colonises open ground, out-competing native vegetation and contributing to land degradation.
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Origin:
Native to coastal regions of Eurasia and North Africa.
Distinguishing features:
Bushy, rounded growth habit: Grows into a dense, often globe-shaped or bushy plant.
Fleshy, spiny leaves: Leaves are narrow, succulent (fleshy), and become sharply pointed or spiny as they mature, making the plant prickly to touch.
Often reddish stems/foliage: The stems and older foliage frequently develop a reddish or purplish tinge, especially as the plant matures or in full sun.
'Tumbleweed' characteristic: When mature and dry, the plant often breaks off at the base and rolls in the wind, dispersing seeds over a wide area.
Prefers salty or disturbed soils: Commonly found in coastal areas, salt-affected lands, roadsides, and other disturbed sites.
Overall appearance:
A bushy, herbaceous annual that can vary in colour from bright green to reddish or purplish. It forms a dense, rounded mass of tangled branches with prickly, fleshy leaves. When dry, it often detaches and becomes a tumbleweed.
Height:
Typically grows 0.3 to 1 metre tall, but can occasionally reach up to 1.5 metres.
Width:
Can spread 0.5 to 1.5 metres wide, forming a sprawling, rounded bush.
Leaves:
Alternate, simple, and narrowly linear (thread-like) to awl-shaped (tapering to a point), 1 to 6 centimetres long. They are fleshy and succulent when young but become stiff, brittle, and sharply spiny (prickly) as they mature. They are green but often develop reddish or purplish colouration, especially near the base.
Flowers:
Very small, inconspicuous, greenish or pinkish, lacking petals. They are borne singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils along the stems. The flowers are typically hermaphroditic.
Flowering season (South Africa):
Mainly summer to autumn (around November to May), but can be opportunistic depending on rainfall and conditions.
Fruits:
Tiny, papery, winged fruits (utricles), typically 4 to 8 millimetres in diameter including the wings. These wings help in wind dispersal.
Seeds:
Small, black, spirally coiled seeds, 1 to 2 millimetres in diameter, enclosed within the winged fruit. They are produced in large numbers and are primarily dispersed when the entire dry plant tumbles in the wind.
Bark:
Not applicable, as it is an herbaceous annual. Stems are green to reddish, often striated, and can become woody at the base in older plants.
Thorns:
The leaves themselves become sharply pointed and spiny as they mature, acting as thorns.
Wood:
Not applicable; it's an herbaceous annual, though the base of older stems can become slightly woody.
Roots:
Develops a shallow taproot and a network of fibrous lateral roots, allowing it to quickly absorb surface moisture and nutrients in disturbed environments.
Soil type:
Highly adaptable to a wide range of soil types, but especially thrives in sandy, gravelly, and saline (salty) soils. It is common in disturbed areas, overgrazed pastures, and coastal environments. It tolerates poor nutrient conditions.
Aspect:
Prefers full sun and open, disturbed ground. It is very tolerant of drought, high temperatures, and saline conditions.
Edibility:
The young, tender shoots and leaves are edible and can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a vegetable. They have a slightly salty taste. Historically, it was also used to produce soda ash for glass and soap making.
Toxicity:
While the young leaves are edible, the plant contains oxalates (similar to spinach) and has a high salt content. Large quantities, especially of mature, spiny plants, can be harmful to livestock or if consumed excessively by humans. The sharp spines can also cause physical irritation.
Uses:
Historically used for making soda ash (sodium carbonate) for glass and soap production. Young plants are sometimes used as a forage plant for livestock (though with caution due to spiny mature plants) and its tender shoots are consumed by humans in some cultures.
Ecology:
As an alien invasive plant in South Africa, Salsola kali is a widespread problem, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, coastal areas, salt marshes, and highly disturbed sites. It rapidly colonises bare or degraded ground, especially where soils are saline or compacted. It forms dense stands that outcompete and displace indigenous herbaceous plants and grasses, reducing biodiversity. Its 'tumbleweed' characteristic is a highly effective seed dispersal mechanism, allowing it to spread quickly across open landscapes. It can also alter soil chemistry by concentrating salts. It is a major weed in agricultural lands and contributes to soil erosion in some areas once it dies back.
Distribution and habitat:
Widely naturalised and invasive throughout most of South Africa, particularly prevalent in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, Eastern Cape (common in coastal areas, roadsides, and disturbed ground around Kenton-on-Sea), and parts of KwaZulu-Natal, North West, and Limpopo. It invades coastal dunes, salt marshes, arid shrublands, grasslands, roadsides, waste areas, and agricultural fields.
Derivation of name:
The genus name Salsola comes from the Latin word 'salsus', meaning 'salty', referring to the plant's ability to grow in saline soils and its somewhat salty taste.
The species epithet kali is derived from the Arabic word 'qali', referring to the ash of the plant from which soda (alkali) was historically obtained.
"Prickly Saltwort" directly refers to its spiny nature and salty habitat.
Historical aspects:
Salsola kali was likely introduced to South Africa as an accidental contaminant in grain or ballast from ships, or perhaps for its traditional use in soda ash production. Its ability to thrive in harsh, disturbed, and often saline environments, coupled with its highly effective 'tumbleweed' dispersal mechanism, allowed it to rapidly spread from coastal ports into inland areas, becoming a significant agricultural and environmental weed.
Interesting facts:
This plant is like a natural beach ball! When it dries out, it snaps off at the base and rolls across the land in the wind, scattering its seeds everywhere like a 'tumbleweed'!
It's a real survivor! This plant absolutely loves growing in salty soils, which means it can grow where most other plants can't, like right by the sea!
Don't let its prickly look fool you too much – when it's young and tender, its leaves can actually be eaten, and they taste a bit salty!
Historically, people used to burn this plant to make 'soda ash', which was then used to make things like glass and soap. Pretty cool for a prickly weed!
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