Alhagi maurorum
Alhagi maurorum
Alhagi maurorum is a species of legume commonly known as camelthorn, camelthorn-bush, Caspian manna, and Persian mannaplant.
Vernacular
Camelthorn, Zoz, Kandira, Shinz
Family
Papilionaceae
Description
A small spiny shrub. A common weed in Pakistan. In northern Balochistan. The perennial plant grows from a massive rhizome system which may extend over six feet into the ground. New shoots can appear over 20 feet from the parent plant. Above the ground, the plant rarely reaches four feet in height. It is a heavily branched, gray-green thicket with long spines along the branches. It bears small, bright pink to maroon pea flowers and small legume pods, which are brown or reddish and constricted between the seeds. The seeds are mottled brown beans.
Leaf simple, 10-25 mm long, 3-8 mm broad, obovate or elliptic-oblong, glabrous or pubescent, entire, apiculate; petiole c. 2 mm; stipules minute.
Inflorescence lateral axillary racemes 1-5 cm long, ending in spine.
Pedicel 1-3 mm, with 1-2 minute bracteoles.
Calyx 2-2.5 mm, glabrous, teeth almost obsolete to triangular.
Corolla 6-9 mm long, pink or reddish – violet. Fruit 19-34 mm long, 2-3mm dorab, glabrous, more or less constricted between the seeds, 1-9-seeded.
Fl.Per.: April-September.
Distribution
This shrub is native to the region extending from the Mediterranean to Russia, but has been introduced to many other areas of the world, including Australia, southern Africa, and the western United States.
It is found in Pakistan, Kashmir, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, N.Africa.
Uses
Courtesy:
Flora of Balochistan – Pakistan
Flora of Pakistan
Wikipedia
