Species Information

• halogeton (saltover)
• Halogeton glomeratus (Bieb.) C.A. Mey.
• USDA Symbol: HAGL
• Oregon Noxious Weed Designation: B
• Pictures

Identification: Annual; blooms July to September. Grows a few inches to 1 1/2 ft tall. Main stems branch from the base, spreading at first and then becoming erect. Plants blue-green in spring and early summer, turning red or yellow by late summer. Leaves small, fleshy, nearly tubular and tipped with a needle-like spine. Flowers inconspicuous and borne in the leaf axils.

Impacts: Halogeton is native to Asia with a wide distribution throughout the western U.S. It thrives in dry alkaline rangelands as well as waste ground and roadsides, and is poisonous to livestock. Sheep appear to be one of the main dispersal agents of the plant and are often victims of its poison though they avoid it if other feed is available. Late in its growth stage it can break off and tumble across the landscape, spreading seeds as it rolls.

Biological Controls: No approved biological control agent is available.

Oregon Maps of Halogeton Distribution

Links:

USDA Plants Database information on halogeton

GRIN Database information on halogeton

Oregon Department of Agriculture information on halogeton