Photographs: Inchidoney, Co. Cork

Prickly Saltwort Salsola kali Lus an tsalainn Family: Amaranthaceae (Chenopodiaceae) Flowering time: July-September. Annual. Native. Very tiny solitary flowers in the leaf axils with 5 sepals and a pair of bracts. The succulent leaves are narrow, rounded and taper to a sharp spine at the tip. A more/less prostrate, very prickly plant, the branched slightly woody stems striped reddish or green. Height/spread to 40cm Coastal, on or above the drift-line on sand and shingle beaches Similar: Spineless Saltwort, Salsola tragus. Leaves without spines. Very rare, old records from Dublin Port area. Previously S. kali subsp. iberica

Prickly Saltwort, Salsola kali, Lus an tsalainn