Salsola soda* (Oppositeleaf Russian Thistle) is a seashore and saltmarsh plant native to southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. It grows near the upper tide mark in saltmarshes, berms, riprap, dredge disposal areas, etc. It is a prickly, thistle-like plant, about 200-450 mm tall. This plant concentrates salt and silica in its tissues, and is eaten and cultivated in some Mediterranean countries for its salty taste and crunchy texture. In Italy, it is served as 'agretti'. In California, it was first collected in 1968 near the Dumbarton Bridge, and occurs in saltmarshes and shoreline areas around San Francisco Bay.
*The current name of this species in international databases and current taxonomic literature is Soda inermis. However, this name is not yet used in US databases, including USDA Plants (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2024), CalFlora 2024; Jepson Herbarium and University of Califonia Herbaria 2024).