Prickly Russian Thistle (Salsola tragus)

Family: Chenopodiaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Salsola tragus is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavouring for other foods. — Young leaves and stems - raw or cooked.; The very young shoots are chopped up and eaten in salads, older shoots are cooked as greens or as a salty flavouring for other foods.; Roasted and used as food.

Habitat & North American Range

Sandy shores, cultivated fields and waste places in Eastern N. America. Often found in non-saline sands and as a ruderale in Europe. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)