Russian Thistle; Tumbleweed

Salsola tragus

Family: Chenopodiaceae

Plant Description: Annual to 1 m or higher, forming clumps; stems greenish with purple stripes. Lower leaves 3-5 cm long, threadlike, the upper shorter, tapered to a short spine, alternate. Flowers solitary, axillary. Fruiting perianth 3-6 mm wide with broadly winged tepals. Fruit are utricles (slightly flattened, one-seeded.

Plant Trivia: Native of Eurasia. Tumbling action of the wind is its seed dispersal mechanism.

Field Identification:

Occurrence: Occasional on various soils in waste places or along roads.

Bloom Period: April-October

Plant Use: