saltbush

plant, Salsola species
Also known as: Salsola laricifolia

Learn about this topic in these articles:

occurrence in

    • deserts
      • sand dunes
        In desert: Origin

        …it is thought that the saltbush or chenopod family of plants reached Australia in this way, initially colonizing coastal habitats and later spreading into the inland deserts.

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      • sand dunes
        In desert: Flora

        …example is the chenopod or saltbush family, which is varied and diverse in arid and semiarid regions of Australia, North America, and from the Sahara to Iran, India, and Central Asia but scarce in other ecosystems. The cactus family is very prominent in deserts in the Americas but absent elsewhere.…

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    • scrublands
      • scrubland
        In scrubland: Biota

        …these bushes also are called saltbushes because they typically grow in dry, saline environments and sometimes store salt in their leaves, which have a characteristically salty taste. The mallees grow as multistemmed shrubs, frequently more than five metres tall, although some can assume tree form when conditions are not stressful.…

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    use by

      • desert dormous
        • In desert dormouse

          …distributed among thickets of boyalych saltbush (Salsola laricifolia) and white wormwood (Artemisia maritime) growing on salty clay soils.

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      • kangaroo rat
        • kangaroo rat
          In kangaroo rat

          …the salty leaves of the saltbush, which is common in the Great Basin. Peeling the skin from each leaf with their lower front teeth, they consume the underlying layers, which are rich in water and nutrients. Kangaroo rats forage at night and transport food in their cheek pouches to store…

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