| Prickly Russian Thistle |
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| File size | 66997 |
| Original date | 9/18/11 6:27 PM |
| Resolution | 624 x 468 |
| Flash | Flash did not fire, auto |
| Focal length | 6.0mm |
| Exposure time | 1/60s |
| Aperture | 2.7 |
| Focus Distance | |
| Metering Mode | Center weighted average |
| Camera make | Canon |
| Camera model | Canon PowerShot S5 IS |
| Sensor type | OneChipColorArea |
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Botanical name: Salsola kali subsp. tragus Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
Synonyms: Salsola tragus, Salsola kali var. glabra
Synonyms: Salsola tragus, Salsola kali var. glabra
Prickly Russian Thistle is an annual herb forming a
rounded, brambly clump of intricately branched, erect, curving stems
growing up to a meter long. The green to red stems are hairless to
hairy. They are lined with rigid, leathery, needle-like, spine-tipped
leaves up to 5 cm long. The inflorescence is an interrupted series of
white flowers, with one flower and a spiny bract per leaf axil. The
flower is surrounded by a disclike array of wide, winged sepals which
are whitish to bright pink in color. A large plant can produce 100,000
minute seeds. The plant dries out as the fruits develop, then breaks
off at the base of the stem and is carried about by the wind, the dry
fruits and seeds dropping off as it rolls. This is the plant's method
of seed dispersal. Prickly Russian Thistle is native to Eurasia. In
India it is found in Kashmir and Ladakh. Flowering: August-September.
Identification credit: Prashant Awale, Gurcharan Singh
| Photographed at Turtuk, Ladakh. |