Flora account
Overview
Field sources record the species from saline flats, salt fields, salt meadows and saline-sodic soil. Controlled studies show responses vary by ecotype and endpoint: true leaves appeared during short-term salt treatment while leaf area declined. In one multi-material screen, all 16 materials survived up to 700 mM NaCl, but two were related species rather than E. salsugineum. [S07, S08, S09, S11, S05, S10, S01, S02, S03, S04]
Name and classification
POWO accepts Eutrema salsugineum; Thellungiella salsuginea is an earlier combination. Taxonomic studies distinguish it from E. halophilum, so experiments under confused names cannot be exchanged without checking their material. [S07, S08, S09, S11]
Morphology and identification
Flora of North America and the Eutrema treatment describe a usually glabrous, often glaucous herb 6–40 cm tall, with erect or ascending stems, basal leaves sometimes in a rosette, and stem leaves that clasp the stem. White-flowered racemes elongate in fruit, which is distinctly torulose. [S05, S07, S08, S10, S11]
Distribution, habitat, and phenology
Wild populations in North America and Central Asia are reported from alkaline sand, saline flats and fields, alkaline depressions, salt meadows, and salt plains; the Mexican wild population was associated with saline-sodic limestone soil. The North American flora and the Mexican population report are distinct regional evidence chains, supporting natural occurrence in saline and alkaline habitats rather than repeated measurements at one site. The reviewed material provides no field root-zone electrical conductivity, ion composition, or seasonal salinity series paired with an individual plant. Habitat labels such as “salt flat” do not show that different sites or populations experience the same salinity. The available regional records provide no phenology observations tied to these populations, so no common flowering or fruiting period is inferred. [S05, S06]
Salinity association in natural habitats
The natural saline-habitat association rests on flora habitat descriptions and the Mexican wild-population report from saline-sodic soil. These are distributional observations, not measurements of salinity at an individual plant’s roots. The Mexican report describes saline-sodic limestone soil but gives no target-plant root-zone EC or treatment dose for comparison among sites. The evidence supports natural association with saline habitats; it does not establish a treatment level or show that every wild population experiences strong salt stress. [S05, S06]
Salt-tolerance research
Results from different materials and platforms should be interpreted by endpoint. Kazachkova et al. (2013) used soil-grown seedlings of a Shandong ecotype in stepwise NaCl treatments and tracked developmental stages 1.02–1.10; a common duration in days was not reported. At 200 and 300 mM, true leaves continued to appear; by stage 1.10, leaf number did not differ significantly from the control, while leaf area declined. Lee et al. (2016) list 14 E. salsugineum accessions and one each of T. halophila and T. botschantzevii in the Methods and Table 1, although the abstract groups all 16 materials under E. salsugineum. Plants were grown hydroponically at 25 mM NaCl for 26 days, then salinity was raised daily to final concentrations of 100–700 mM and measurements were taken one week after each final concentration was reached. All 16 materials survived at 700 mM; fresh weight and rosette diameter declined as salinity increased. Relative fresh weight at 400 mM among the E. salsugineum accessions ranged from 36.7% to 95.4% of control. Inan et al. (2004) used only a Shandong ecotype: three-week-old seedlings were grown in Turface calcined clay, and NaCl was raised stepwise from 75 mM to 150, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mM on days 5, 9, 16, 22, and 26; from days 30–58 plants continued to receive 500 mM every other day. Actual root-zone salinity was not measured. The figure shows shoot and root fresh weight declining during the high-salt plateau; the authors attribute the prolonged decline mainly to senescence and loss of older leaves. Fresh-weight recovery after transfer to 0 or 100 mM for nine days is recovery after salt reduction, not growth at 500 mM. The Results text also reports new leaves and reproductive structures at 500 mM and viable seed production during several months of salt stress. This account gives no per-plant seed counts or exact treatment schedule, so it does not establish quantified seed yield or full-life-cycle tolerance. [S03, S04, S09]
Reported mechanisms and ecological adaptations
The studies above mainly measured leaf appearance, leaf area, fresh weight, survival, and formation of organs or seeds. Those endpoints do not identify ion exclusion, tissue compartmentation, osmotic adjustment, or another specific mechanism. Platform differences and senescent-leaf loss affect how the phenotypes should be interpreted, but they do not substitute for mechanism measurements in this material. [S03, S04, S09]
Conclusion and information gaps
Natural saline-habitat association is documented, while treatment results must be read by material and endpoint. Lee et al.’s 700 mM survival screen included 14 E. salsugineum accessions plus one T. halophila and one T. botschantzevii; fresh mass and rosette diameter declined at high salt. The Shandong-ecotype study at 500 mM reported both fresh-mass loss and formation of reproductive structures. Species identity, ecotype, platform and life stage limit extrapolation. [S03, S04, S05, S06, S09]
Salinity research · Evidence records
4Materials, original units, exposure durations and limitations are retained. These records do not form a single tolerance threshold.
- Material
- Shandong ecotype seedlings of Eutrema salsugineum.
- Salinity metric
- NaCl concentration as reported.
- Treatment / value and unit
- 200 and 300 mM NaCl
- Medium and exposure
- Soil NaCl ramp with seedling growth followed through stage 1.10.
- Life stage
- Seedlings; treatment began at developmental stage 1.02.
- Duration
- Salt was increased stepwise and plants were followed through stage 1.10; a common duration in days is not reported.
- Measured endpoint
- Leaf emergence and leaf area through developmental stage 1.10.
- Result
- The Shandong ecotype produced new leaves through stage 1.10 at 200/300 mM; by stage 1.10, leaf number did not differ significantly from the control, while leaf area declined.
- Scope and limitations
- This is a platform-dependent response over a short seedling developmental interval, not evidence for tolerance across a complete life cycle.
- Material
- The Methods and Table 1 list 14 E. salsugineum accessions and one each of T. halophila and T. botschantzevii; the abstract groups all 16 materials under E. salsugineum.
- Salinity metric
- NaCl concentration as reported.
- Treatment / value and unit
- up to 700 mM (hydroponic multi-accession abstract)
- Medium and exposure
- In hydroponics, plants grew for 26 days at 25 mM NaCl, after which NaCl was increased daily to final concentrations of 100–700 mM; each final concentration was maintained for one week before measurements.
- Life stage
- Seedling/rosette-stage hydroponic material; salt treatment began after 26 days of growth at 25 mM NaCl.
- Duration
- NaCl was increased stepwise each day to the final concentration, followed by one week at that concentration; the total ramp duration varied with the final dose.
- Measured endpoint
- Survival, rosette fresh weight, rosette diameter, and total leaf number; survival and growth at 700 mM are reported in the abstract.
- Result
- All 16 materials survived at 700 mM NaCl, and the abstract reports growth at that concentration; relative salt tolerance varied. Measurements after one week at final concentration showed declining fresh weight and rosette diameter with increasing salinity. Relative fresh weight at 400 mM among E. salsugineum accessions ranged from 36.7% to 95.4% of control.
- Scope and limitations
- The abstract groups all materials under E. salsugineum, whereas the Methods and Table 1 list 14 accessions of that species and one each of T. halophila and T. botschantzevii; material identity here follows the Methods and table. Survival at 700 mM applies to this screen and is not a universal threshold for each accession or wild population.
- Material
- Shandong ecotype; the paper states it was used exclusively.
- Salinity metric
- NaCl concentration as reported.
- Treatment / value and unit
- 500 mM NaCl (repeated irrigation phase)
- Medium and exposure
- Turface calcined-clay substrate with repeated NaCl irrigation; actual root-zone concentration was not measured.
- Life stage
- three-week-old seedlings at treatment onset, subsequently vegetative/reproductive plants
- Duration
- 75 mM for 5 d, then stepwise increased to 150, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mM on treatment days 5, 9, 16, 22 and 26; 500 mM irrigation every other day on days 30–58
- Measured endpoint
- Shoot and root fresh-weight time course during the 500 mM plateau.
- Result
- Both shoot and root fresh weight declined from values near the start through day 58 during repeated 500 mM irrigation. The authors attribute the decline after prolonged high salinity mainly to loss of older senescent leaves. Fresh weight rebounded only after plants were switched to 0 or 100 mM for nine days.
- Scope and limitations
- Whole-plant fresh weight declined during the high-salt plateau, which the authors mainly attributed to shedding of older senescent leaves. Fresh-weight recovery after transfer to 0 or 100 mM occurred after salt reduction. The figure and Results identify the high-dose interval, but actual root-zone salinity was not measured.
- Material
- Shandong ecotype in the same prolonged-salt study.
- Salinity metric
- NaCl concentration as reported.
- Treatment / value and unit
- 500 mM NaCl (same study, separate reproductive/organ endpoint)
- Medium and exposure
- Turface-grown plants under repeated NaCl irrigation; actual root-zone concentration was not measured. This is the same 500 mM phase reported for the separate reproductive endpoint.
- Life stage
- established seedlings forming new leaves and reproductive structures; seed production during the reported prolonged salt stress
- Duration
- New leaves/reproductive structures explicitly reported at 500 mM; plants reportedly continued producing viable seeds during several months of salt stress. The narrative does not give seed counts or a separate exact seed-production treatment schedule.
- Measured endpoint
- Continued new-leaf/reproductive-structure formation and viable-seed production.
- Result
- The authors report continued new leaves, reproductive structures, and viable seeds under the prolonged high-salt phase; this does not negate declining fresh weight or prove full life-cycle completion at 500 mM.
- Scope and limitations
- This supports only scoped ongoing organ growth/reproduction under the authors’ high-NaCl treatment. It is not a measured positive net fresh-weight or relative-growth-rate endpoint, a per-plant seed yield, or strict whole-life-cycle exposure, and it cannot be generalized to true E. halophilum or every E. salsugineum population.
Linked database records
Database indexing is presented separately from original research evidence.
ehaloph 13470
The eHALOPH record lists maximum values of 700/600/300 mM, an optimum of 200 mM, a marine-habitat label, and a Germany distribution field; these aggregate several studies rather than one treatment series. Traceable experiments include the soil-grown 200/300 mM leaf responses of Kazachkova et al. (2013) and Lee et al.’s (2016) multi-material hydroponic report up to 700 mM, with different materials, stages, and endpoints. The studies linked to 600 mM and “optimum 200 mM,” as well as the Germany distribution field, remain unverified in primary sources. [S01, S03, S04]
china_halophyte_catalog CNHP_0771
CNHP_0771 lists saline sandy land on a coastal plain, alongside 700 mM and a suitable value of 200 mM. These catalogue fields overlap cited studies and are not a new independent experiment or whole-life-cycle threshold; habitat and values must be interpreted from their sources and units. [S02]
biosalinedb 98038
BioSalineDB’s original page for record 98038 is titled/named Thellungiella halophila; NCBI Taxonomy taxid 98038 resolves to Eutrema halophilum, so this is a related-name record, not an independent record for the target accepted species E. salsugineum. [S12, S08]
floraveg Eutrema salsugineum
The exact FloraVeg match for Eutrema salsugineum in Europe has no salinity indicator or listed trait values and records zero EUNIS and saline/brackish relations. This describes European database coverage and does not represent other regions. [S13]
Literature & sources
13Source IDs are local to this species and content version.
eHALOPH species record 13470, Eutrema salsugineum
View original source中国盐生植物编目 CNHP_0771: Eutrema salsugineum
View original sourceKazachkova et al. 2013. Growth Platform-Dependent and -Independent Phenotypic and Metabolic Responses of Arabidopsis and Its Halophytic Relative, Eutrema salsugineum, to Salt Stress. Plant Physiology 162:1583–1598. DOI:10.1104/pp.113.217844
View original sourceLee et al. 2016. Salt stress responses in a geographically diverse collection of Eutrema/Thellungiella spp. accessions. Functional Plant Biology 43:590–606. DOI:10.1071/FP15285
View original sourceFlora of North America, Eutrema salsugineum species treatment (Intermountain Herbaria Portal)
View original sourceGerman & Koch 2017. Eutrema salsugineum (Cruciferae) new to Mexico. PhytoKeys 76:13–21. DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.76.9731
View original sourceKoch MA, German DA. (2013). Taxonomy and systematics are key to biological information: Arabidopsis, Eutrema (Thellungiella), Noccaea and Schrenkiella (Brassicaceae) as examples. Frontiers in Plant Science 4:267. DOI:10.3389/fpls.2013.00267.
View original sourceNCBI Taxonomy Browser: Eutrema halophilum, taxid 98038
View original sourceInan et al. 2004. Salt Cress. A Halophyte and Cryophyte Arabidopsis Relative Model System and Its Applicability to Molecular Genetic Analyses of Growth and Development of Extremophiles. Plant Physiology 135(3):1718–1737. DOI:10.1104/pp.104.041723
View original sourceAl-Shehbaz, I.A. & S.I. Warwick. 2005. Eutrema (Brassicaceae). Harvard Papers in Botany 10:129–135; species treatment in online taxonomic account.
View original sourceRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Plants of the World Online. Eutrema salsugineum (Pall.) Al-Shehbaz & Warwick.
View original sourceBiosalineDB, Thellungiella halophila species profile, record 98038.
View original sourceFloraVeg.EU, Eutrema salsugineum taxon overview.
View original sourcethrive-v1-9d751b6f6d1787853e7f8e31