Herb: Salt Tree


Latin name: Haloxylon persicum


Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Tree


Height:
4.5 m
(15 feet)

Habitat of Salt Tree:

Sandhills, deserts and sand ridges, often forming pure stands.

Other uses of the herb:

The plant has an extensive root system and is used for reafforestation and stabilizing sandy soils. Wood - durable, heavy (it sinks in water), brittle but it does not splinter. Used in general carpentry. The wood has enormous value as a fuel in its native range, it burns well and gives a good heat.

Propagation of Salt Tree:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in sand in a frame.

Cultivation of the herb:

Sandhills, deserts and sand ridges, often forming pure stands.

Medicinal use of Salt Tree:

None known

Known hazards of Haloxylon persicum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.