Kali tragus

Ruthe African herb salt ( Kali tragus )

The Ruthenian salt herb ( Kali tragus ), also called Ukraine - salt herb, Hungarian salt herb steppe salt herb or potash - salt herb, is a native of Eastern Europe and Central Asia steppe plant belonging to the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family of Amaranthaceae ( Amaranthaceae ). She was abducted in steppe areas in the world and is one of the most famous Tumbleweed.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The Ruthenian salt herb is an annual plant, reaching heights of growth from 30 to 100 cm. It grows upright and is branched from the base of stand-off. The stem is streaked white or purple. The leaves are semi- terete to terete, enlarged at the base and hautrandig and 1.5 to 4 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 mm wide. You are bald or hairy. The blade end is hardened prickly.

Inflorescences and flowers and fruits

In spike -like inflorescences, the hermaphrodite flowers are in the armpit of bracts, which are narrow ovate to subulate, hautrandig at the base, hardened thorny at the end. Laterally is surrounded by two ovoid continue reading with thorny hardened tip. The perianth consists of five narrow ovate, membranous from the middle, bare tepals. There are five stamens present. The two scars are thready and three to four times as long as the stylus.

The flowering period extends into central Europe from July to October. Pollination is usually caused by the wind, or often by self-pollination.

Fruits

To fruit maturity the perianth hardens in the lower part and enclosing the fruit. From the back of the tepals is membranous, traversed by nerves wings develop. Three of the wings are sometimes bright purple, kidney-shaped to verkehrteiförmig. The other two wings are narrower. The winged spreading unit reaches a diameter of 7 to 10 mm. ( Rarely are also fruits without wings before ). The Tepalenzipfel on the wings are either thin-skinned, soft, wrinkled, or one to two lobes are firm and upright.

The plant is a steppe scooter.

Chromosome number

The chromosome number is 2n = 36, the species is therefore tetraploid.

Dissemination

The Ruthenian salt herb is originally from the Mediterranean to Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia and Central Asia domestic. It is now widely naturalized in South Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. In China, it grows on sand dunes, sandy and rocky sites and on the seashore.

In Austria it is in the Pannonian area native (Burgenland, Vienna, Lower Austria ) and is found on dry sand and gravel sites, sandy fields and at railway stations. It is locally common, otherwise only scattered to rare. It is limited to the amount colline level.

In Germany, the species grows only as a neophyte scattered in the coastal area and on sandy areas inland.

In North America, the Ruthenian salt herb in the 1870s was probably introduced with flax seed from Russia and is now a major weed. It grows here on disturbed sites, along roadsides and in fields and on coastal and riverine sandy soils in semi-deserts and deserts. Here it rises up to 2500 m above sea level.

System

Kali tragus is a taxonomically difficult family because it is morphologically very diverse. For a long time the species was assigned to the genus Salsola, Salsola after but was divided on the basis of recent molecular genetic -based studies, the species was placed in the genus Kali. Occasionally, she was listed as subspecies of potash salt herb ( Kali turgida ). With this and some similar species Kali tragus today to Kali turgida aggregate ( Salsola kali - aggregate) summary.

Synonyms are Salsola aptera Ilyin, Salsola australis R.Br., Salsola iberica ( Sennen & Pau) Czerep. , Salsola kali subsp. iberica ( Sennen & Pau) Rilke, Salsola kali subsp. rosacea Čelak. , Salsola kali subsp. ruthenica ( Ilyin ) Soó, Salsola Pestifer A. Nelson, Salsola tragus Salsola ruthenica Ilyin and L.

In Europe, two subspecies occur:

• Kali tragus subsp. tragus
• Kali tragus subsp. pontica ( syn.. Salsola tragus subsp pontica ( Pall. ) Rilke, Salsola pontica ( Pall. ) Degen, Salsola kali subsp pontica ( Pall. ) Mosyakin, Salsola ruthenica subsp pontica ( Pall. ) Ilyin, Salsola kali var. . pontica Pall ). , this is the prevailing on non- saline soils in the European inland clan and also occurring in Austria subspecies.

Symbolism

The association of the Ruthenian herb salt with Western films led to its role as an important symbol in many audiovisual media. It is now for areas that rely, are dry and often desolate, usually steppes and deserts.

A common use as dynamic scenery is when the protagonists reach a long abandoned or desolate area: The Ruthenian salt herb - called in such contexts as tumbleweeds - will then roll through the scene, often accompanied by the sound of dull and dry wind.

In order to achieve a funny effect, it is also sometimes applied in scenarios where it would not be expected. It is also sometimes used when a protagonist makes a bad joke or a strange statement, with the passing rolling plant in the background and the wind effect, the awkward silence amplified ( similar to chirping crickets ).