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Salt cress
Salt cress
- THAT'S ME
- FACTS
- ST.MARTINS
- QUIZ
Dear explorer, dear explorers,
It can't be salty enough for me - on the contrary! Where others take flight, I feel most at home!
It's me, the salt cress - a true survivor of nature! My life takes place in places where other plants would die in no time at all. While most plants suffer more and more when the salt concentration increases, I really feel at home there. I only reach my full growth potential at high salt levels in the soil. In Seewinkel , you can find me primarily in salty places in meadows and pastures.
All my love,
Your salt cress
Header image: Nikolam993, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image credit: HermannSchachner, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
HermannSchachner, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
I have a few cool tricks up my sleeve to survive in these extreme conditions. My secret survival motto is: "Salt is my friend." While other plants cannot tolerate salt in their cells, because salt removes water from the cells, I can absorb it into my leaves without suffering any damage. However, I also have to store water to dilute the salt I absorb. This makes my leaves thick and fleshy. I also transfer the salt to the older leaves and if the concentration of salt in the leaves becomes too high, I simply discard them and can get rid of the salt again.
Appearance
Salt cress is a herbaceous plant that reaches a height of 15 to 30 cm. The stems are green and slightly hairy, the leaves shiny and thick-walled, which also makes them particularly resistant to drought. The leaves are elongated, pointed and vary in color depending on the location and soil conditions. In spring and summer, small, white to pink flowers appear, arranged in dense clusters and attracting insects for pollination. Later, the plant forms small, round seed capsules, which are similar in structure to the well-known cress.
Reproduction
Salt cress reproduces both by seed and vegetatively. It can spread quickly by seed, as the plants produce a large quantity of seeds during the flowering period. These seeds are dispersed by wind or animals and can germinate on salty soils, making the plant particularly suitable for colonizing salty soils. As salt cress can also reproduce vegetatively, it is possible for the plant to spread by stolons or division of the rhizome, which further favors its spread in suitable environments.
Distribution
Image credit: © Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Salt cress is an obligate halophyte, meaning it only grows when there is salt in the soil and is mainly found in salt steppes. Its distribution area includes regions such as Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan and China. It is also found as a neophyte in the United States, Canada and Argentina.
In Austria, it only occurs in the Seewinkel and on the western shore of Lake Neusiedl. These areas are important inland salt habitats with specific saline soils formed by geological processes. These soils are also known as Solontschak. These are soils with a high salt concentration on the surface, which are brought to the surface by capillary rise of the groundwater. This often leads to the formation of salt crusts.
Culinary
Due to its salty and slightly bitter taste, salt cress is not very popular in the kitchen. However, it is edible and can be used in special recipes or as an ingredient in wild herb mixtures. It is not as popular as other types of cress, which have a milder taste. But beware - in Austria it is endangered and may not be harvested. In addition, it usually grows in national park areas that may not be entered.
Safari status
HermannSchachner, CC0, via Wikimedia Commonsa
In May, the salt cress can be admired in bloom. It is generally not easy to spot as it often grows in places that are difficult to access. Around the National Park Center in Illmitz - especially in the direction of Geiselsteller - you can observe this botanical specialist on the white zigzags (salt soils).
You can find out more about the fascinating habitats of the Seewinkler soda pans and their unique flora and fauna on the guided tour "Salt pans and their inhabitants". You will not only get to know the salt cress, but also other typical salt plants of this special landscape.
