MICHIGAN WEEDS. 



323 



Fig. 56 (53). 



Russian Thistle. Salsola Kali tenuifolia G. F. W. Mey. (Salsola Tragus L.) A 

 dense bushy annual, 30-90 cm. high, a tumbleweed; young plants soft, succulent, 

 bearing cylindrical leaves, 3-7 cm. long, relished by sheep; leaves of older plants awl- 

 shaped, prickly-pointed; the whole plant streaked and splashed with bright red when 

 mature. Especially troublesome in spring wheat and other annual crops. Introduced 

 into the Northwestern States from Russia, and from there spread eastward carried by 

 railway trains and mixed with seeds of alfalfa and red clover. 



