Andrachne telephioides L.
كبانية، كماش، البانة، سرطان الثيل، بذر الدو ، بذر الدود
For people
- Eaten by people
- Not edible
- Toxic to people
- Toxic
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Not grazed
- Toxic to livestock
- Toxic
Edibility and safety notes
Not eaten by people. Qatar e-Nature records the plant as poisonous and says it is used as an insecticide; the field guide lists it as not grazed. Do not eat any part of it and do not offer it to animals. Only one regional source documents the toxicity and it does not say which animals are affected, so treat the plant as suspect rather than proven.
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 glabrous, glaucous, prostrate or procumbent perennial herb with numerous densely leafy stems arising from a woody stock, growing to about 12 cm. Leaf blades are elliptic-ovate to suborbicular. Belongs to the family Phyllanthaceae.
Habitat
Waste ground, dry hills and especially rocky terrain; also silty depressions and saline coastal ground.
Distribution
Native to Cape Verde, Canary Islands, northeast tropical Africa, Mediterranean region to Central Asia and northwest India.
Pastoral value
Not grazed.
Other uses
Recorded in Qatar as a poisonous plant used as an insecticide.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.96)
- Plants of the World Online — Andrachne telephioides L. — powo.science.kew.org
- Flora of Qatar — Andrachne telephioides — floraofqatar.com
- Qatar e-Nature — Huweimdha (Andrachne telephioides) — enature.qa
- Wikipedia — Andrachne telephioides — en.wikipedia.org