Lotus garcinii DC.
لوتس، قرط
For people
- Eaten by people
- Unknown
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Good fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Unknown
Edibility and safety notes
No reliable information on whether people eat this desert trefoil was found, and nothing on its toxicity to people; it should not be eaten. The Omani field guide rates it good grazing for livestock; no second source on its fodder value, or on any harm to animals, was found.
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 small, much-branched shrublet or perennial herb with a woody base (sometimes behaving as an annual), 20-60 cm tall, with ascending or spreading hairy branches. Leaves are small, compound and velvety, with obovate to oblong leaflets 5-15 mm long. The small pea-like flowers are borne a few together in axillary clusters; sources differ on their colour (reddish according to Wikipedia, yellow in the field guide text). The fruit is a straight or curved cylindrical pod 15-25 mm long with many seeds.
Habitat
Coastal sands and the margins of salt flats (sabkha), usually on slightly alkaline soils; also on windblown sand and dunes.
Distribution
From Somalia and Socotra (Abd al Kuri) through the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, eastern Saudi Arabia) and southern Iran to Pakistan and north-west India.
Pastoral value
Good grazing plant, according to the Omani field guide.
Other uses
No significant traditional or economic uses documented.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.116)
- GBIF backbone — Lotus garcinii Ser. (name match) — api.gbif.org
- GBIF — Lotus garcinii occurrence records by country — api.gbif.org
- Wikipedia — Lotus garcinii — en.wikipedia.org
- Flora of Qatar — Lotus garcinii — floraofqatar.com
From the same family
All in this family
Fabaceae
Salam tree, Desert acacia
Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne.
Fabaceae
Red thorn, Grey-haired acacia, Talh
Acacia gerrardii Benth.
Fabaceae
Gum arabic tree, Babul, Thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia, Thorny acacia
Acacia nilotica (L.) Del.
Fabaceae
Gum acacia, Gum arabic tree, Sudan gum
Acacia senegal (L.) Willd.