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''Salsola soda'', more commonly known in English as opposite-leaved saltwort, oppositeleaf Russian thistle, or barilla plant, is a small (to 0.7 m tall), annual, succulent shrub that is native to the Mediterranean Basin. It is a halophyte (a salt-tolerant plant) that typically grows in coastal regions and can be irrigated with salt water. The plant has great historical importance as a source of soda ash, which was extracted from the ashes of ''Salsola soda'' and other saltwort plants.〔 Clow, Archibald and Clow, Nan L. (1952). ''Chemical Revolution,'' (Ayer Co Pub, June 1952), pp. 65–90. ISBN 0-8369-1909-2.〕 Soda ash is one of the alkali substances that are crucial in glassmaking and soapmaking. The famed clarity of 16th century ''cristallo'' glass from Murano and Venice depended upon the purity of "Levantine soda ash,"〔 Turner, Guy (1999). "''Allume Catina'' and the Aesthetics of Venetian ''Cristallo''," ''Journal of Design History'' 12, No. 2, pp. 111–122. 〕 and the nature of this ingredient was kept secret. Spain had an enormous 18th century industry that produced soda ash from the saltworts (''barrilla'' in Spanish).〔 Pérez, Joaquín Fernández (1998). ("From the barrilla to the Solvay factory in Torrelavega: The Manufacture of Saltwort in Spain," ) ''Antilia: The Spanish Journal of History of Natural Sciences and Technology,'' Vol. IV, Art. 1. ISSN: 1136-2049. Archived at WebCite from (this original URL ) on 2008-03-01.〕 Soda ash is now known to be predominantly sodium carbonate. In 1807, Sir Humphry Davy isolated a metallic element from caustic soda; he named the new element "sodium" to indicate its relationship to "soda." Before soda was synonymous (in U.S. English) with soft drinks, the word referred to ''Salsola soda'' and other saltwort plants, and to "sodas" derived from soda ash. While the era of farming for soda ash is long past, ''Salsola soda'' is still cultivated as a vegetable that enjoys considerable popularity in Italy and with gourmets around the world. Its common names in Italian include barba di frate, agretti, and liscari sativa (short: lischi or lischeri). Of its culinary value, Frances Mayes has written that "Spinach is the closest taste, but while ''agretti'' has the mineral sharpness of spinach, it tastes livelier, full of the energy of spring."〔 Mayes, Frances (2000). ''Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life of Italy,'' (Broadway), p. 15. ISBN 0-7679-0284-X.〕 == Description == This annual, succulent plant can grow into small shrubs up to 0.7 meters tall (sometimes called sub-shrubs). It has fleshy green leaves with either green or red stems. The tiny flowers develop from inflorescences that grow out of the base of the leaves near the stem.〔 Jepson, Willis Linn (1993). ''The Jepson manual: higher plants of California,'' James C. Hickman, editor (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), p. 514. ISBN 0-520-08255-9〕〔 Robertson, Kenneth R. and Clemants, Steven E. (1997). (''Salsola Soda'' ), from "Amaranthaceae" chapter, in: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. ''Flora of North America North of Mexico.'' 12+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 4, pp. 399–402. ISBN 0-19-517389-9.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Salsola soda」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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