The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Barilla \Ba*ril"la\, n. [Sp. barrilla.]
   1. (Bot.) A name given to several species of Salsola from
      which soda is made, by burning the barilla in heaps and
      lixiviating the ashes.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Com.)
      (a) The alkali produced from the plant, being an impure
          carbonate of soda, used for making soap, glass, etc.,
          and for bleaching purposes.
      (b) Impure soda obtained from the ashes of any seashore
          plant, or kelp. --Ure.
          [1913 Webster]

   Copper barilla (Min.), native copper in granular form mixed
      with sand, an ore brought from Bolivia; -- called also
      Barilla de cobre.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

barilla
    n 1: bushy plant of Old World salt marshes and sea beaches
         having prickly leaves; burned to produce a crude soda ash
         [syn: saltwort, barilla, glasswort, kali,
         kelpwort, Salsola kali, Salsola soda]
    2: Algerian plant formerly burned to obtain calcium carbonate
       [syn: barilla, Halogeton souda]