Alhagi mannifera
| Alhagi mannifera | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Alhagi mannifera (common name: manna tree)
Propagation: Seed - pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow March/April in a warm greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least the first winter. Plant out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Cuttings of young shoots in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Requires a sunny position in a well-drained light or medium soil.
Plants are not very hardy in Britain, they can be grown outdoors in the summer but require protection in the winter[1].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[2].
Range: N. Africa - Egypt to Turkey.
Habitat: Waste places, sand dunes etc in Turkey[3].
Edibility: A sweet-tasting manna is exuded from the twigs at flowering time[4][5][6][7]. It is exuded during hot weather according to one report[1], whilst another says that the twigs themselves are chewed[8].
Root - cooked. A famine food, it is only used in times of need[6][7][8].
Medicinal: The whole plant is diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and laxative[6][9].
An oil from the leaves is used in the treatment of rheumatism[10].
The flowers are used in the treatment of piles[10].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: A. maurorum. Hedysarum alhagi.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Davis, Peter. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press, 1965.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.