Aizoon canariense L.
شحيمة، قفيعة، شحمة الأرض، حلمة، سلى، دعداع، كشاط البلاد، حدق، عداء
For people
- Eaten by people
- Edible
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Limited fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Unknown
Edibility and safety notes
A famine food only, not a regular vegetable: the fleshy leaves have been eaten in times of scarcity, Bedouin in Egypt made a gruel from the ground seeds, and in Oman the plant is added to beans and chickpeas while cooking. No poisoning is reported, but its safety has not been studied, so eat only small amounts, cooked. Livestock graze it little, mainly after it dries; its safety for animals is not documented.
This guide is a hobby project, not expert advice. Never eat a wild plant, or feed it to animals, on the strength of this page alone. Read the disclaimer
Description
A succulent, annual to short-lived perennial plant growing up to 40 cm tall, covered in fine velvety hairs, with thick many-stemmed often prostrate shoots. Flowers are small, petal-less and greenish. Fruits are star-shaped, depressed centrally, usually red or pink.
Habitat
Found in salty and non-salty habitats in hot desert areas, mainly in sandy places and gravel plains, from sea level to 2000 metres.
Distribution
Warm arid to semi-arid areas including Macaronesia (Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde), Arabia, Pakistan, North Africa and Southern Africa.
Pastoral value
Low grazing value; grazed after it has dried.
Other uses
In Oman the plant is added to broad beans and chickpeas during cooking to make them soften faster. Elsewhere the leaves have been eaten as a famine food, and Bedouin in Egypt made a gruel from the ground seeds.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.21)
- Useful Tropical Plants - Aizoon canariense — tropical.theferns.info
- Purdue University Famine Foods - Aizoon canariense — purdue.edu
- Wikipedia - Aizoon canariense (cites Osborn 1968, Economic Botany, for the seed gruel) — en.wikipedia.org
- Flora of Qatar - Aizoon canariense — floraofqatar.com
- Plants For A Future - Aizoon canariense — pfaf.org
- LLIFLE Encyclopedia of Succulents - Aizoon canariense — llifle.com
