striped-stalked saltwort

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• striped-stalked saltwort

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Suaeda salsa var. tenuiramea
• Suaeda maritima subsp. salsa
• Suaeda ussuriensis
• Suaeda heteroptera var. tenuiramea
• Suaeda heteroptera f. microcarpa
• Cochliospermum salsum
• Suaeda heteroptera
• Suaeda liaotungensis
• Schoberia salinaria
• Schoberia salsa
• Salsola salsa
• Chenopodina indica
• Chenopodina salsa
• Lerchia maritima var. salsa
• Lerchia salsa
• Suaeda salinaria
• Suaeda heteroptera var. microcarpa

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it falls under the order Caryophyllales and is a member of the family Amaranthaceae. Specifically, it is identified by the genus Suaeda, with its species name being salsa.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad distribution across several distinct regions of the European continent. In Middle Europe, its presence can be documented in both Germany and Hungary. Moving toward the east, the species is found throughout the Baltic States. Its range also extends to the Crimean Peninsula, representing a significant part of its Eastern European territory. Finally, the distribution reaches into the vast stretches of Central European Russia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Suaeda salsa is defined by its specialized adaptation to extreme environmental conditions, primarily characterized by its preference for saline places. As a halophyte, it thrives in hypersaline environments such as salt marshes, coastal mudflats, and saline depressions where most other vegetation would perish due to osmotic stress. This plant is expertly adapted to manage high salt concentrations through physiological mechanisms that allow it to inhabit intertidal zones and alkaline soils. Its presence is a key indicator of salt-marsh ecosystems, where it plays a critical role in soil stabilization and nutrient cycling within these highly specialized, salt-dominated landscapes.

Habitat :

saline places

Life history

The life history of Suaeda salsa is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning it completes its entire biological development—from germination to seed production and senescence—within a single growing season. As an annual species, its survival strategy relies heavily on the rapid production and dispersal of seeds to ensure the continuity of the population in its saline habitats. The plant begins its life cycle as a seed, germinating when environmental conditions, such as salinity levels and moisture, become favorable. Following germination, it undergoes a period of vegetative growth, developing succulent stems and leaves that allow it to thrive in coastal or salt-crust environments. Once it reaches physiological maturity, the plant transitions into its reproductive phase, producing flowers and eventually setting seeds. After the successful maturation of these seeds, the individual plant completes its life cycle and dies, leaving the next generation to await the next seasonal cycle.

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Suaeda salsa is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, existing as both a herb and a forb. It is a self-supporting plant that does not function as a climber, liana, or vine. In terms of its habitat and life strategy, it is an independent organism that is neither a parasite nor an epiphyte, typically maintaining a terrestrial to semiaquatic existence. The plant's stature is relatively low, with a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.1 m to a maximum of 1 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1 m

Plant height min:

0.1 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Suaeda salsa is primarily defined by its specialized metabolic adaptations to hypersaline and arid environments. It utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which is a distinctive physiological trait given its ability to thrive in high-salinity coastal salt marshes where many other C3 plants would succumb to osmotic stress. To manage the physiological challenges posed by high salt concentrations, the plant employs an efficient halophytic strategy involving the sequestration of sodium and chloride ions into large central vacuoles within its succulent tissues. This process allows the plant to maintain low cytosolic ion concentrations while using the accumulated salts to lower its osmotic potential, thereby facilitating water uptake from the saline substrate. Furthermore, the plant exhibits significant physiological plasticity in its osmotic adjustment, synthesizing organic osmolytes such as glycine betaine to protect cellular structures and enzymatic functions from dehydration and ionic toxicity.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Suaeda salsa is characterized by a specific seasonal flowering cycle that dictates its reproductive success. The flowering process typically commences in August and continues through the month of September, marking a concentrated period of floral development. This temporal window is essential for the plant's reproductive strategy, ensuring that pollination and subsequent seed production occur within these specific late-summer to early-autumn months.

Flowering time :

Aug

Flowering time :

Sep

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Suaeda salsa has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Frontiers in plant science

Chemicals

Suaeda salsa has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, LIGNIN.

Flavonoids

1. Frontiers in plant science

LIGNIN

1. Frontiers in plant science