Iphiona aucheri (Boiss.) Anderb.
خاسية، حوا الغزال، خزى
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
Poisonous: never eat it or use it as a remedy. The Abu Dhabi health authority lists the whole plant, especially the leaves, as toxic, causing acute liver and kidney damage that can be fatal. It is not a grazing plant: camel deaths from eating it are recorded in the UAE and the Omani field guide calls it very poisonous to camels; sheep are also reported to be affected. Keep livestock away from it, particularly hungry animals after rain when it is green and other forage is scarce.
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Description
A compact, densely branched perennial herb up to 80 cm tall. Leaves simple, alternate, stalkless, hairless, pale green and somewhat fleshy, broadly triangular, tapering gradually at the base into a short stalk-like part, entire except at the broad, coarsely toothed tip. Flower heads made up of tubular florets in the centre and strap-shaped florets at the edge, both yellow; the bracts of the head are in several rows. Fruit a cylindrical achene with 8-10 ribs; pappus of several rows of rough, stiff bristles that become longer towards the centre. Flowers from January to May.
Habitat
Roadsides and wadi beds; rocky and gravelly ground in the mountains.
Distribution
Oman, Iran and western Pakistan; also recorded in the UAE (Hajar Mountains from Hatta southwards and Jebel Hafeet).
Pastoral value
Not a grazing plant - very poisonous to camels. Camel deaths from eating it are recorded in the UAE; it contains toxic diterpene glycosides of the atractyloside type that damage the liver and kidneys.
Other uses
No beneficial uses are documented. It is a poisonous plant listed by the Abu Dhabi health authority among the toxic plants of the UAE.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.42)
- Abu Dhabi Department of Health, Toxic Plants in the UAE — Iphiona aucheri — medicinalplants.doh.gov.ae
- Ali et al. 2000, Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research — Acute toxicity studies on Iphiona (Grantia) aucheri and atractyloside in mice — agjsr.agu.edu.bh
- Plants of the World Online — Iphiona aucheri (Boiss.) Anderb. — powo.science.kew.org
- UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants — Iphiona aucheri — nationalredlist.org
- Gulf News — Campers warned to avoid plants in UAE (Iphiona aucheri: renal necrosis) — gulfnews.com
- PubMed — Biochemistry and toxicology of the diterpenoid glycoside atractyloside — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
