Description
Synonymy- The taxonomy of the genus Salsola has long been confused. Until recently, the two most widespread forms in the genus were considered varieties or subspecies of a single species, S. kali. The typical coastal plant (Saltwort) was known as S. k. ssp. kali (Kartesz 1994), while the largely inland weedy form (Russian Thistle) was called S. k. ssp. tragus. Mosyakin (1996) distinguished the coastal S. kali as a full species, separate from S. tragus. However, he split S. kali into two subspecies, S. k. ssp. kali, of northern and Western Europe, and S. k. ssp. pontica, native to the Mediterranean. Baltic and Caspian coasts, North Africa, and southwest Asia. Both subspecies are present on the Atlantic Coast of North America, S. k. ssp. kali in the north (VA-Newfoundland), and S. k. ssp. pontica in the south (MD-TX). The two subspecies co-occur in the mid-Atlantic region, and in Chesapeake Bay, but their distribution remains to be clarified (Mosyakin 1996).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Magnoliopsida | Caryophyllales | Chenopodiaceae | Salsola |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1739 | Established | Stable | Introduced | Regular Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Shipping(Dry Ballast) |
History of Spread
Salsola kali (Saltwort) is native to the coast of Europe from central Scandinavia southward, and along the entire coastline of the Mediterranean and Black Seas (Mosyakin 1996). It is treated in many standard references as a native of both European and North American coasts (Fernald 1950; Gleason 1963; Gleason and Cronquist 1991). If it were native, it would be the only native North American plant in the genus (Mosyakin 1996). It was included in the earliest North American floras for VA and NC (Gronovius 1739; Walter 1788), and present in major East coast seaports, from Charleston to Boston, by the early 19th century (Aikin 1837; Barton 1818; Bigelow 1814; Elliott 1824; Pursh 1814; Torrey 1823. This opportunistic shore plant was common on ballast grounds in the late 19th century (Smith 1867), and both subspecies (S. k. ssp. kali, S.k. ssp. pontica) are likely to have been very early introductions to North America (Clemants 1992; Mosyakin 1996). Careful studies of pollen and seeds in marsh sediments are needed to verify this. All the specimens of S. kali from Chesapeake Bay in the U.S. National Herbarium collection have been annotated by Sergei Mosyakin either as S. k. ssp. pontica, or as too immature for identification (Fofonoff, unpublished data). Following Mosyakin (1996), we regard as S. kali as introduced to North America.
In Chesapeake Bay, Salsola kali was reported from 'shores of the Chesapeake' in the vicinity of Baltimore (Aikin 1837), from ore piles in Canton MD on Baltimore Harbor (Reed 1964), and on MD shores from Love Point, Kent Island and Plum Point, Calvert County to Point Lookout and Bloodworth Island (Sipple 1978).
Along the Potomac, S. kali was reported from Alexandria VA by Ward (1881), but we have no recent records above the mesohaline portions of the river in King George County VA (Simmons et al. 1995).
Salsola kali was collected in VA, probably in the vicinity of Gloucester County, before 1739 by John Clayton (Gronovius 1739; Reveal 1983). It was found by Erlanson (1924) at Scimino, on the York River, and at Newport News, at the mouth of the James River. On the Atlantic Coast, it is widespread on the shoreline of the coastal bays and barrier islands, from Assateague Island to Fishermans Island (Boule 1976; Hill 1986; Klotz 1986; McCaffrey et al. 1992).
History References- Aikin 1837; Barton 1818; Bigelow 1814 ; Boule 1976; Clemants 1992; Elliott 1824; Erlanson 1924; Fernald 1950; Gleason 1963; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Gronovius 1739; Hill 1986; Klotz 1986; McCaffrey et al. 1992; Mosyakin 1996; Reed 1964; Reveal 1983; Pursh 1814; Simmons et al. 1995; Sipple 1978; Smith 1867; Torrey 1823; Walter 1788; Ward 1881
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 42.0 | 0.0 | 35.0 |
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | meso-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 300.0 | 300.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 450.0 | 450.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 600.0 | 600.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Salsola kali (Saltwort) is a minor pest on beaches, where its prickles are painful to beachgoers who step on it (Fofonoff, personal observations). However, it has no reported economic impacts in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Salsola kali (Saltwort) is a minor pest on beaches, where its prickles are painful to beachgoers who step on it (Fofonoff, personal observations). However, it has no current reported economic impacts. Historically, this plant was used as source of soda-ash and silica for glass-making (Clemants 1992).
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Salsola kali (Saltwort) is widespread on beaches of lower Chesapeake Bay and the adjacent coast, but its impacts on native flora have not been studied. Strandline plants such as S. kali play an important role in the stabilization of beaches and dunes (Lee and Ignaciuk 1985), but the relative importance of this species compared to native plants [e.g, Ammophila breviligulata (American Beachgrass); Cakile edentula ( American Sea Rocket) is not known.
References- Lee and Ignaciuk 1985
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Salsola kali (Saltwort) is widespread on beaches of lower Chesapeake Bay and the adjacent coast, but its impacts on native flora have not been studied. It is a potential competitor with other introduced and cryptogenic strandline plants, such as Cakile maritima (Eurasian Sea Rocket), Atriplex prostrata (Halberd-Leaved Orach) and Suaeda maritima (Low Sea Blite). However, many of these species are rare, and their interactions have not been studied.
References
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1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
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