Salsola gobicola
Barbwire russian thistle
Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Salsola gobicola (Barbwire russian thistle) is a non-native California herb in the Chenopodiaceae family, recognized by gray-green color, translucent wings with colored spots.
Barbwire russian thistle is a naturalized annual plant found in southern San Joaquin Valley, northern Western Transverse Ranges, southeastern Sierra Nevada, and eastern Mojave Desert in disturbed, sandy places at elevations of 120 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces white to translucent flowers with opaque wing bracts on spiny cylindric inflorescences. Growing with spreading to ascending stems up to 1.5 meters tall, the plant is longitudinally ribbed and occasionally marked with red stripes. Its leaves are gray-green to yellow-green, becoming rigid and leathery with age, ranging from 8 to 52 millimeters long with sharp-pointed or spiny tips. The distinctive fruit develops five roughly translucent wings, often featuring a yellow or pink spot at its base.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; key features are gray-green color, translucent wings with colored spots
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Disturbed, sandy, places
Elevation: 120-2200 m
Outside California: to Utah, Mexico, apparently native to Eurasia
Bloom period
Salsola gobicola blooms Jul-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Suaeda: Salsola leaves taper to sharp spine tips; Suaeda leaves have soft rounded tips.; vs Amaranthus: Salsola has spine-tipped thread-like leaves; Amaranthus has broad soft leaves without spines.; vs Artemisia: Salsola has spine-tipped succulent leaves; Artemisia has soft, aromatic, often divided gray leaves.; vs Dittrichia: Salsola has spine-tipped cylindrical leaves; Dittrichia has soft sticky leaves and yellow daisy flowers.; vs Eriogonum: Salsola has spine-tipped thread-like leaves; Eriogonum has soft leaves clustered at base with woolly undersides.
Frequently asked questions
Is Salsola gobicola native to California?
No. Salsola gobicola is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Salsola gobicola bloom?
Salsola gobicola blooms Jul-Oct.
What plant family does Salsola gobicola belong to?
Salsola gobicola is in the Chenopodiaceae family, genus Salsola.
What habitat does Salsola gobicola grow in?
Salsola gobicola grows in Common. Disturbed, sandy, places.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-08
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.