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(Redirected from Tumbleweed)
'''Salsola''' (also known as 'Tumbleweed', 'Saltwort' or 'Russian thistle') is a genus of herbs, subshrubs, shrubs and small trees in the family Amaranthaceae, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe; they typically grow on flat, often dry and/or somewhat saline soils, with some species in saltmarshes.[1] Recent genetic studies[2] have however shown that the genus as traditionally circumscribed is paraphyletic, and many species are likely to be transferred to other genera in the future.
In several annual species, those known popularly as "tumbleweeds", the plants break away from their roots in the autumn, and are driven by the wind as a light, rolling mass, scattering seed far and wide. The seeds are produced in such large numbers that the plant has not developed protective coatings or food reserves for the coiled plant embryos. The deep, ineradicable taproot survives to grow again the following season.
The genus ''Batis'' is also sometimes known as Saltwort, but is unrelated to salsola.
Several species, but most notably the central Asian ''S. tragus'', are invasive outside their native range. They have become particularly abundant in parts of North America, where they are listed as noxious weeds by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The salt-tolerant genus was first reported in the United States around 1877 in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, apparently transported as a stowaway in flax seed imported by Ukrainian farmers. South Dakota proved too harsh and dry for growing flax, but by 1900, ''Salsola'' had colonised as far west as the Pacific Coast. It was also actively introduced by the U.S.D.A., under the impression that cattle might be induced to eat it in hard times during droughts. Palatability of the young shoots is considered to be fair. Cattle, sheep, and horses will eat it, if nothing better is available. Small rodents and Pronghorn also graze on the young shoots. Tumbleweed thrives wherever land use has disturbed the soil. It can be seen in Death Valley, California and in Colorado at elevations of 8500 feet (2600 meters).
Tumbleweed has naturalized to the point where it is regarded by many American people as native, changing the North American Great Plains plant community forever. It is controlled with mass applications of herbicides. Tumbleweed is such a common symbol in Westerns, where it is used to indicate an abandoned area, that it is generally associated with the American Old West, and Western films, despite its Ukrainian origin.
''Salsola'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Nutmeg and the ''Coleophora'' case-bearers ''C. klimeschiella'', ''C. parthenica'', ''C. poeciliella'' (recorded on ''S. oppositifolia'') and ''C. salsolella'' (feeds exclusively on ''S. vermiculata'').
The leaves and shoots of many species are edible, especially when young and tender, and some are grown as vegetables, often used for salads, sushi, or as a garnish. The most commonly eaten European species is ''Salsola soda'' known in Italy as 'Barba di Frate' or 'Agretti'. In Japan, ''S. komarovii'' is a crop of moderate importance, known locally as 'okahijiki' (literally "land hijiki").
The seeds are also edible, although difficult to collect in quantity, and are sometimes ground into flour.
In film and television, a tumbleweed blowing across a scene can be used to indicate a deserted location, or to emphasise an awkward silence. This has been parodied many times in U.S. animated series The Simpsons.
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" was a hit for the cowboy singing group Sons of the Pioneers.
More than 100 species have been proposed by botanists as belonging to ''Salsola''.[3] A partial listing of these species is given below. As of 2007, only six of these species (''S. collini'' Pallas, ''S. kali'' L., ''S. paulsenii'' Litv., ''S. soda'' L., ''S. tragus'' L., and ''S. vermiculata'' L.) are listed as "reviewed" by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
1. Mosyakin, Sergei L. (2007). "Salsola," in ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1'', Editorial Committee of the ''Flora of North America'' (Oxford University Press, 2004). ISBN 978-0195173895. Online versions retrieved May 22, 2007.
2. Pyankov, V. I., Artyusheva, E. G., Edwards, G. E., Black, C. C., & Soltis, P. S. (2001). "Phylogenetic analysis of tribe Salsoleae of Chenopodiaceae based on ribosomal ITS sequences: Implications for the evolution of photosynthesis types." ''Amer. J. Bot.'' 88: 1189-1198 (2001). Available online here; retrieved May 21, 2007.
3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (2007). "Salsola" webpage retrieved May 21, 2007.
'''Salsola''' (also known as 'Tumbleweed', 'Saltwort' or 'Russian thistle') is a genus of herbs, subshrubs, shrubs and small trees in the family Amaranthaceae, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe; they typically grow on flat, often dry and/or somewhat saline soils, with some species in saltmarshes.[1] Recent genetic studies[2] have however shown that the genus as traditionally circumscribed is paraphyletic, and many species are likely to be transferred to other genera in the future.
In several annual species, those known popularly as "tumbleweeds", the plants break away from their roots in the autumn, and are driven by the wind as a light, rolling mass, scattering seed far and wide. The seeds are produced in such large numbers that the plant has not developed protective coatings or food reserves for the coiled plant embryos. The deep, ineradicable taproot survives to grow again the following season.
The genus ''Batis'' is also sometimes known as Saltwort, but is unrelated to salsola.
| Contents |
| ''Salsola'' as invasive species |
| ''Salsola'' as food |
| Tumbleweed in culture |
| List of Species |
| References and external links |
''Salsola'' as invasive species
A wind-blown tumbleweed caught against a fence
Several species, but most notably the central Asian ''S. tragus'', are invasive outside their native range. They have become particularly abundant in parts of North America, where they are listed as noxious weeds by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The salt-tolerant genus was first reported in the United States around 1877 in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, apparently transported as a stowaway in flax seed imported by Ukrainian farmers. South Dakota proved too harsh and dry for growing flax, but by 1900, ''Salsola'' had colonised as far west as the Pacific Coast. It was also actively introduced by the U.S.D.A., under the impression that cattle might be induced to eat it in hard times during droughts. Palatability of the young shoots is considered to be fair. Cattle, sheep, and horses will eat it, if nothing better is available. Small rodents and Pronghorn also graze on the young shoots. Tumbleweed thrives wherever land use has disturbed the soil. It can be seen in Death Valley, California and in Colorado at elevations of 8500 feet (2600 meters).
Tumbleweed has naturalized to the point where it is regarded by many American people as native, changing the North American Great Plains plant community forever. It is controlled with mass applications of herbicides. Tumbleweed is such a common symbol in Westerns, where it is used to indicate an abandoned area, that it is generally associated with the American Old West, and Western films, despite its Ukrainian origin.
''Salsola'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Nutmeg and the ''Coleophora'' case-bearers ''C. klimeschiella'', ''C. parthenica'', ''C. poeciliella'' (recorded on ''S. oppositifolia'') and ''C. salsolella'' (feeds exclusively on ''S. vermiculata'').
''Salsola'' as food
The leaves and shoots of many species are edible, especially when young and tender, and some are grown as vegetables, often used for salads, sushi, or as a garnish. The most commonly eaten European species is ''Salsola soda'' known in Italy as 'Barba di Frate' or 'Agretti'. In Japan, ''S. komarovii'' is a crop of moderate importance, known locally as 'okahijiki' (literally "land hijiki").
The seeds are also edible, although difficult to collect in quantity, and are sometimes ground into flour.
Tumbleweed in culture
In film and television, a tumbleweed blowing across a scene can be used to indicate a deserted location, or to emphasise an awkward silence. This has been parodied many times in U.S. animated series The Simpsons.
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" was a hit for the cowboy singing group Sons of the Pioneers.
List of Species
More than 100 species have been proposed by botanists as belonging to ''Salsola''.[3] A partial listing of these species is given below. As of 2007, only six of these species (''S. collini'' Pallas, ''S. kali'' L., ''S. paulsenii'' Litv., ''S. soda'' L., ''S. tragus'' L., and ''S. vermiculata'' L.) are listed as "reviewed" by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
References and external links
1. Mosyakin, Sergei L. (2007). "Salsola," in ''Flora of North America: North of Mexico Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1'', Editorial Committee of the ''Flora of North America'' (Oxford University Press, 2004). ISBN 978-0195173895. Online versions retrieved May 22, 2007.
2. Pyankov, V. I., Artyusheva, E. G., Edwards, G. E., Black, C. C., & Soltis, P. S. (2001). "Phylogenetic analysis of tribe Salsoleae of Chenopodiaceae based on ribosomal ITS sequences: Implications for the evolution of photosynthesis types." ''Amer. J. Bot.'' 88: 1189-1198 (2001). Available online here; retrieved May 21, 2007.
3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (2007). "Salsola" webpage retrieved May 21, 2007.
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