Salsola acanthoclada Botsch.
S. spinescens auct.pl., non Moq., S. vermiculata var. spinescens sensu Maire & Weiller, Nitrosalsola acanthoclada (Botsch.) Theodorova.
Branched shrub up to 80 cm, glabrescent, with scattered spinulose hair. Stems slender, open, with overall appearance of a bare, dry or dead plant. Branches elongated, with secondary divaricate branchlets at right angles, mostly naked and ending in a spiny tip. Leaves small 1-2 mm, slightly fleshy, applied, pubescent, ovoid or oblong, obtuse; floral leaves and bracts membranous at the margins; flowers solitary, small. Fruit perianth about 5 mm, with 5 parts, each with a dorsal wing, greenish-white in colour.
Flowering:
Annually from summer to autumn in the Mediterranean region, after the rains in the Sahara.
Fruiting:
No data for this region
Habitat:
Saline clayey soils in dry to desert environments.
Distribution:
It extends from southern Morocco to Libya.
Observations:
Numerous authors like Battandier & Trabut, Maire, Pottier-Alapetite, Sherif & El-Taife, thought they saw in this species S. spinescens Moq. and generally it has been assimilated as one of the many described varieties of S. vermiculata. More recently (2015) its name has been combined as Nitrosalsola acanthoclada (Botsch.) Theodorova
Conservation status:
This species is not that common but it is widely distributed, in principle it is not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.To conclude with the treatment of this genus a further 2 species are worth mentioning.