Haloxylon salicornicum
(Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss.
Lana, Desi
(c) John Pereira, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Pereira
(c) Radha Veach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Radha Veach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Gum
The seeds are mixed with other grains for making bread. The plant also produces an edible gum.
Where to Find It
It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It can grow in salty soils and near the bases of dunes. It grows in desert.
Afghanistan, Africa, Arabia, Asia, Egypt, India, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Mediterranean, Middle East, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
How to Identify
A small shrub. They keep growing from year to year. It is pale and has many branches. It is almost without leaves. It grows up to 60 cm tall. The leaves are reduced to small triangle shaped scales. The flowers are in 3-6 cm long spikes. The flowers are creamy white.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Haloxylon salicornicum is a salt tolerant, drought tolerant, desert shrub belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It is a desert shrub and is found in Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Notes
Chemical composition (after Hooper): Albumenoids = 11.12% (dry). Ash = 15.21% (dry). Nitrogen = 1.78% (dry). Phosphoric acid = 13% (dry). Silicates = .21% (dry). Also put in the family Chenopodiaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Hammada elegance, Hand, Remith, Rimth
References (8)
- Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 256
- Fl. orient. 4:949. 1879
- GUPTA & KANODIA,
- HOOPER,
- Joshi, A., et al, 2018, Halophytes of Thar Desert: Potential source of nutrition and feedstuff. International Journal of Bioassays 8.1 (2018) pp. 5674-5683
- Mandaville, J. P., 2004, Bedouin ethnobotany: Plant concepts and plant use in a desert pastoral world. PhD thesis University of Arizona. p 169
- SAXENA,
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
