Salsola

Salsola is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus sensu stricto is distributed in central and southwestern Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. A common name of various members of this genus and related genera is saltwort, for their salt tolerance. The genus name Salsola is from the Latin salsus, meaning "salty".

Description
The species of Salsola are mostly subshrubs, shrubs, small trees, and rarely annuals. The leaves are mostly alternate, rarely opposite, simple, and entire. The bisexual flowers have five tepals and five stamens. The pistil ends in two stigmata. The fruit is spherical with a spiral embryo and no perisperm.

Systematics
The genus name Salsola was first published in 1753 by Linnaeus in Species Plantarum. The type species is Salsola soda L.

The genus Salsola belongs to the tribe Salsoleae s.s. of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus was recircumscribed in 2007 based on molecular phylogenetic research, greatly reducing the number of species. Synonyms of Salsola sensu stricto are: Darniella Maire & Weiller, Fadenia Aellen & Townsend , Neocaspia Tzvelev and Hypocylix Wol. .

Plants of the World Online includes:


 * 1) Salsola acanthoclada
 * 2) Salsola africana
 * 3) Salsola algeriensis
 * 4) Salsola angusta
 * 5) Salsola arbusculiformis
 * 6) Salsola australis
 * 7) Salsola austrotibetica
 * 8) Salsola baranovii
 * 9) Salsola basaltica
 * 10) Salsola brevifolia
 * 11) Salsola chellalensis
 * 12) Salsola chinghaiensis
 * 13) Salsola collina
 * 14) Salsola cruciata
 * 15) Salsola divaricata
 * 16) Salsola drummondii
 * 17) Salsola euryphylla
 * 18) Salsola glomerata
 * 19) Salsola × gobicola
 * 20) Salsola griffithii
 * 21) Salsola gymnomaschala
 * 22) Salsola gypsacea
 * 23) Salsola halimocnemis
 * 24) Salsola hartmannii
 * 25) Salsola ikonnikovii
 * 26) Salsola intramongolica
 * 27) Salsola jacquemontii
 * 28) Salsola junatovii
 * 29) Salsola kali
 * 30) Salsola komarovii
 * 31) Salsola laricifolia
 * 32) Salsola mairei
 * 33) Salsola masclansii
 * 34) Salsola melitensis
 * 35) Salsola monoptera
 * 36) Salsola pachyphylla
 * 37) Salsola papillosa
 * 38) Salsola paulsenii
 * 39) Salsola pontica
 * 40) Salsola praecox
 * 41) Salsola praemontana
 * 42) Salsola ryanii
 * 43) Salsola sabrinae
 * 44) Salsola sinkiangensis
 * 45) Salsola squarrosa
 * 46) Salsola strobilifera
 * 47) Salsola subglabra
 * 48) Salsola tamamschjanae
 * 49) Salsola tamariscina
 * 50) Salsola tragus  (sometimes placed in Kali)
 * 51) Salsola tunetana
 * 52) Salsola turcica
 * 53) Salsola verticillata
 * 54) Salsola webbii
 * 55) Salsola zaidamica
 * 56) Salsola zygophylla

Excluded species: Many species formerly grouped in Salsola were excluded by Akhani et al. (2007). Some may now be classified in separate genera:
 * Turania (for Salsola sect. Sogdiana)
 * Xylosalsola (for Salsola sect. Coccosalsola subsect. Arbuscula)
 * Caroxylon (for Salsola sect. Caroxylon)
 * Caroxylon imbricatum (Forssk.) Moq. (Syn. Salsola imbricata Forssk. )
 * Caroxylon vermiculatum (L.) Akhani & Roalson (Syn. Salsola vermiculata L. )
 * Kaviria (for Salsola sect. Belanthera)

Uses
The leaves and shoots of S. soda, known in Italy as barba di frate or agretti, are cooked and used as vegetables. The species is also used for the production of potash. In Namibia, where the plant is called gannabos, it is a valuable fodder plant.