Salsola soda

Salsola soda, more commonly known in English as opposite-leaved saltwort, oppositeleaf Russian thistle, or barilla plant, is a small (to 0.7 m tall), annual, succulent shrub that is native to the Mediterranean Basin. It is a halophyte (a salt-tolerant plant) that typically grows in coastal regions and can be irrigated with salt water. The plant has great historical importance as a source of soda ash, which was extracted from the ashes of Salsola soda and other saltwort plants. Soda ash is one of the alkali substances that are crucial in glassmaking and soapmaking. The famed clarity of 16th-century cristallo glass from Murano and Venice depended upon the purity of "Levantine soda ash", and the nature of this ingredient was kept secret. Spain had an enormous 18th-century industry that produced soda ash from the saltworts (barrilla in Spanish). Soda ash is now known to be predominantly sodium carbonate. In 1807, Sir Humphry Davy isolated a metallic element from caustic soda; he named the new element "sodium" to indicate its relationship to "soda". Before "soda" was somewhat synonymous (in U.S. English) with soft drinks, the word referred to Salsola soda and other saltwort plants, and to soda ash. While the era of farming for soda ash is long past, S. soda is still cultivated as a vegetable that enjoys considerable popularity in Italy and with gourmets around the world. Its common names in Italian include barba di frate, agretti, and liscari sativa (short: lischi or lischeri). Of its culinary value, Frances Mayes has written that "Spinach is the closest taste, but while agretti has the mineral sharpness of spinach, it tastes livelier, full of the energy of spring."

🎭 Strength, Protection, Hex Breaking

Characteristics

Plant Type

Herb

Life Cycle

Annual

Genus

Salsola

Family

Amaranthaceae

Hardiness Zone

2-11

Mature Height

61 cm

Mature Spread

49 cm

Leaf Color

Green, Blue

Leaf Type

Deciduous

Flower Color

Pink, Green

Flower Size

0.25 cm to 0.51 cm

Bloom Time

Summer

Planting Time

Spring, Summer

Harvest Time

Late summer, Early fall, Mid fall

Native Area

Turkey, Montenegro, Croatia, Morocco, Slovenia, Russia, Romania, Qatar, Portugal, France, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Armenia, Greece, Ukraine, China, Italy, Kazakhstan, Spain, Iran, Albania, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Hungary, Turkmenistan

Tags (5)

Common Names (6)