Zygophyllum coccineum
Linn.
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) משה נאמן, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) משה נאמן, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) dawudbattisha, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A herb or low shrub. It can grow 50 cm tall. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems have many branches. The leaves are twice divided. They are bright green. The leaflets are cylinder shaped and almost triangle shaped. The flowers are small and white. The petals are spoon shaped. The fruit is a capsule up to 1 cm long. It is cylinder shaped or has 5 angles. They occur singly in the axils of leaves. The seeds are oval and lumpy.
Edible Uses
The seeds are used as a spice.
Distribution
It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in the desert in wadis. It can tolerate salty soils.
Where It Grows
Africa, Arabia, Egypt, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan,
Notes
There are 50 Zygophyllum species. It is an unresolved name in The Plant List.
References (2)
- Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 708
- Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 85
