Ochradenus arabicus Chaudhary, Hillc. & A.G.Mill.
هباب حمار، حريق، بيش عربي، علندره، كرد
For people
- Eaten by people
- Unknown
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Not grazed
- Toxic to livestock
- Unknown
Edibility and safety notes
No reliable information was found on people eating any part of this shrub or on whether it is poisonous, so it should not be treated as edible. The Omani field guide rates it as not grazed; this is the only statement found, and no source documents either grazing or livestock poisoning for this species (its relative Ochradenus baccatus, by contrast, is browsed by goats).
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 dioecious, spiny shrub that looks almost leafless, usually about 0.5 m and up to 1 m tall, with stiff, spreading, spine-tipped branches. Leaves are simple, stalkless, linear-oblong, 7-18 x 1-2 mm, and soon fall. Flowers are unisexual, yellow, stalkless and without petals, in terminal spikes; male flowers have 12-16 stamens arising from a green disc. The fruit is globose to ovoid, about 5 mm across, green turning yellow when ripe, with 15-18 smooth, glossy seeds. Flowers from December to April.
Habitat
Rocky places and gravelly wadi beds; hillsides, mountains and plateaus, including the Hajar Mountains, less often on sand and gravel plains.
Distribution
Arabian Peninsula (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen) and south-eastern Iran.
Pastoral value
Not a grazing plant.
Other uses
No traditional uses were verified. Extracts and essential oils of the plant have been screened in laboratory studies for antimicrobial and other biological activity; this is not evidence of safe or effective medicinal use.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.173)
- Plants of the World Online — Ochradenus arabicus (native range; seen in search results) — powo.science.kew.org
- UAE National Red List — Ochradenus arabicus (habit, habitat, range) — nationalredlist.org
- UAE National Red List — Ochradenus baccatus (notes on confusion with O. arabicus; northern Oman records) — nationalredlist.org
- Ochradenus arabicus (Resedaceae), a new record for the flora of Iran — Iranian Journal of Botany (seen in search results) — ijb.areeo.ac.ir
- Wikipedia — Ochradenus baccatus (related species, for comparison) — en.wikipedia.org
