I Friis & M. Thulin. 1993. Flora of Somalia 1:127-140
Plants subshrubs, usually highly branched. Leaves scalelike, ovate, or spinelike. Inflorescences spikelike or with spikelike branches or flowers solitary in the axils of leaflike bracts. Bracts and bracteoles usually shorter than the fruiting perianths, not hardening. Flowers bisexual, (4-)5-merous; perianth segments more or less scarious, each usually developing a prominent scarious wing in fruit; stamens 5; stigmas 2, more or less linear or flattened, with or without styles. Fruiting perianths with cylindrical, undurate bases, bottom or perianths flat, forming a clearly marked circular or pentagonal shape with 5 radiating ribs, between which there are 5 equally spaced grooves. Fruits utricles included within the persistent perianths, subglobose; seeds subglobose, horizontal, seed coat membranous; embryos forming conical spirals.
Halothamnus includes about 25 species is native from northeastern Africa through the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia.
Friis & Thulin commented that the separation of Halothamnus from Salsola seemed questionable but reflected prevailing usage. A paper by Schüssler et al. (2016) suggests that part of the problem is that Salsola is highly polyphyletic.
Note: GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution.