Saltwort
Salsola baryosma

Family: Amaranthaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It grows 1 m tall. The young stems are purplish. The leaves are narrow and have soft hairs. Older plants become branching shrubs with leaves like tiny knotted balls. The old stems are woody. The flowers are small and yellow. The fruit have pale yellow wings are are showy. The stems and leaves when crushed have a bad smell.

Also put in the family Chenopodiaceae.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean plant. It will grow in salty soil. In Bahrain it grows from seashore to stony desert. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Algeria, Asia, Bahrain, Central Africa, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, Niger, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, UAE, West Africa, Yemen

How it is used for food

Manna is obtained from the leaves. It hardens and is scraped off for eating. Caution: The leaves themselves contain alkaloids.

Edible parts

Leaves - juice, manna

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Aghacel, Ecchi, Ellakura, Gagraf, Ghadraf, Gora lane, Hamd, Lana shora, Lani, Loonak, Ressal

Synonyms

Salsola foetida Del ex Spreng.;