| Kali soda | |
|---|---|
| Kali soda | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Salsoloideae |
| Genus: | Kali |
| Species: | Kali soda |
| Binomial name | |
| Kali soda Moench |
|
Kali soda[1] (Synonym Salsola kali) (commonly known as prickly saltwort, Russian thistle, or prickly glasswort) is an annual plant that grows in arid soils and in sandy coastal soils.[2] Its original range is Eurasian, but it has become naturalized, and even invasive,[3] in North America, Australia, and elsewhere. The dried plant can detach and become a tumbleweed.
Soda ash extracted from the ashes of Kali soda contains as much as 30% sodium carbonate; sodium carbonate is one of the alkali materials essential to making glass, soap, and many other commodites. The word alkali derives from the Arabic al qaly, or "from Kali." Salsola soda, Kali soda, Halogeton sativus, and other saltwort and glasswort plants were an important source of soda ash until the early 19th century. In Spain, the saltwort plants were called barilla, and were the basis of a large 18th century barilla industry. In the early 19th century, plant sources were supplanted by synthetic soda ash produced using the Leblanc process.