Haloxylon stocksii (Boiss.) Hook. fil.

Barilla (Sajji) is manufactured after burning dried plants and collecting its juice in a wide hole at the base (vide Parker, For. Fl. Punj. 2nd. ed. 415. 1921). Also appreciated as fodder for camels.

Hooker, f. (Fl. Brit. Ind. 5: 15. 1890) called our plants H. recurvum (Wall. ex Moq.) Boiss. saying that he could not separate the Burmese and S. Indian plant from our material, which he regarded as a distinct species. However, the older name from S. India is Caryoxylon indicum Wight and the south Indian plants should be named as Haloxylon indicum.

Shrub, very variable in habit, up to 90 cm or more tall, often straggling, glabrous, pruinose, dark-brown, paniculately branched; branches divaricate, spreading, strict or recurved, ending in strict spikes, 5-15 cm long; segments (4-) 6-20 mm long, shorter in inflorescence region. Leaves distinct, (3-) 5-8 (-10) x 1-2 mm, trigonous or semiterete, sessile, ovate-subulate or ellipsoid to oblong, obtuse or acute; young leaves sometimes up to 25 mm long. Flowers axillary forming interrupted spikes; bracts almost equalling the flowers, slightly exceeding the bracteoles; bracteoles ovate, acute, thick, fleshy. Fruiting perianth c. 6 mm in diam., including wings, scarious.

Distribution: Pakistan, Afghanistan, W. India (Punjab, Rajhastan).

Fl. Per.: October-December.

Salsola stocksii Boiss., Diagn. Ser. 2 (4): 75. 1859; Haloxylon recurvum sensu Bunge in Boiss., Fl. Or. 4: 950. 1879. excl. type (ad ripam Irwaddy -Wallich); Jafri, Fl. Kar., fig. 96. 1966.