Alhagi maurorum
| Alhagi maurorum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Alhagi maurorum (common name: camel thorn)
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].
The stems of the plant are covered in sharp spines[2].
Like the closely related gorse (Ulex europaea) the flowers have a pineapple scent[2]. (A slightly strange report because the gorse flowers have a strong coconut fragrance[K].)
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[3].
Range: W. Asia - Caucasus to the Himalayas.
Habitat: Edges of ditches, waste and often saline places etc in Turkey[4]. Grows in dry barren places[5].
Edibility: A sweet-tasting manna is exuded from the twigs at flowering time[6][7][8][9]. It is exuded during hot weather according to one report[1]. It contains about 47% melizitose, 26% sucrose, 12% invert sugar[10]. Another manna is obtained from the pods - it is sweet and laxative[11].
Root - cooked. A famine food, it is only used in times of need[12][11][9].
Medicinal: The whole plant is diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and laxative[12][10].
An oil from the leaves is used in the treatment of rheumatism[13].
The flowers are used in the treatment of piles[13].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: A. camelorum. A. persarum. Hedysarum pseudalhagi.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Davis, Peter. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press, 1965.
- ↑ Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.