The Sisallo or salsola vermiculata It is a small bush that usually reaches up to a meter in heightIt is dark gray in color, whose narrow leaves and very showy flowers are part of the Chenopodiaceae family.
She herself dresses the fields and has been their guardian since ancient times, helping to prevent erosion.
Features
In the same way it provides chemical resources, serves as food for many invertebrates and given their resistance they need practically nothing to survive.
As we have already commented this is a small shrub, hermaphrodite, somewhat hairy, grayish in color and small leaves, although its flowers are not so showy.
This shrub is also called sisallo, barrel, reed among other very significant names. It has a somewhat irregular branching, whose green color is hidden through a grayish color, a situation that is due to the combination of dust and the hairy appearance that it has.
It is usually found on the edge of roads, slopes and in spaces with a lot of sun exposure. It adapts to difficult environments so it is very resistant, offering its fruits towards the end of summer.
It has in turn a internal conformation that makes you recycle CO2 which it does by closing its stomata to take advantage of the water. This shrub is so interesting that it is worth detailing because it resists where other plants could die from insolation. It is also resistant to the concentration of salts.
Care and cultivation of Salsola vermiculata
The plant is typical of subsalt or nitrogenous soils and it is found in spaces usually visited by livestock. Its flowering takes place during the months of June until August.
It is found in the Mediterranean region and Portugal, where it has a presence throughout the Region. Of him it can be said that it is a shrub with many branches and quite durable or perennial, which with its height that usually reaches up to one meter.
The stem is generally greyish and has leaves that can be elongated or triangular that end as a sharp point.
Regarding its habitat usually grows on land with a tendency towards arid or semi-dry, these being somewhat salty.
Uses
In ancient times the shepherds kept the plant to feed the lambs in labor for its great energy input and increase milk production. It was also used as pasture for mules, oxen and horses, making it very useful and helping the ecosystems.
It becomes a kind of buffer to alleviate the irremediable consequences of storms, the only thing she requires is that they let her live so it does not need some care.
There is something interesting about this shrub and it is that for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries gained importance from an economic point of view, since it was used as a raw material for making glasses and soaps.
All this product of high concentrations of organic salts of sodium and potassium, Where the salsola vermiculata becomes the protagonist.
It can be said that although today it is not used for more than what was said, in ancient times its branches served as fuel to light the ovens, specifically firewood. From a medicinal point of view sucking the stems, it is believed to relieve stomach pain.
As an ornamental plant It allows to decorate patios, orchards and gardens. With it, ornamental floral and sculptural ornaments are made. For the environment it serves as compost and bedding for livestock, preventing soil erosion and / or land.
In the same way, it serves to diagnose and cure diseases present in animals. In the case of people, it also helps prevent diseases, including eye diseases.
From a social, cultural, traditional and symbolic point of view, the plant takes part in processions, floral carpets, wreaths and even children's games. They are also used to make beehives, baskets, ropes and instruments for plowing and hunting.
Definitely This one meter tall shrub is multifaceted and highly versatile.