Salsola kali Linnaeus var. praecox Litvinov, Sched. Herb. Fl. Ross. 4: 66. 1902; S. paulsenii Litvinov subsp. praecox (Litvinov) Rilke.

Herbs annual, 5-25 cm tall. Stem branched from base; branches green, white striate, slender, hispid or subglabrous; lowest branches elongate. Leaves spreading or curved, filiform, semiterete, 1.5-3.5 cm × 0.7-1.5 mm, hispid, base slightly expanded, apex spinose mucronate. Inflorescence spikelike, loose, or sometimes flowers borne throughout plant; bracts narrowly ovate, longer than bractlets, margin membranous at base, apex elongate, spinose mucronate; bractlets ovate, longer than perianth, apex spinose mucronate. Perianth (including wings) 6-8 mm in diam. in fruit; segments narrowly lanceolate, membranous, hardened in fruit, abaxially winged from proximal middle part, hispid; portion of segment above wing connivent with others into a long, thin cone, shortly bristly, apex long, hard, spinose mucronate; 3 wings reniform, larger; other 2 wings narrowly lanceolate, smaller, leathery. Anthers ca. 0.5 m, apex spinose mucronate. Stigmas filiform, 2-3 × as long as style. Seed horizontal. Fl. Apr-May, fr. May-Jul.

Salsola praecox is very closely related to S. paulsenii and would perhaps be better treated as S. paulsenii subsp. praecox.

Dunes, sandy places. N Xinjiang [Afghanistan, SW Pakistan; SC Asia, SW Asia (E Iran)].