Prunus arabica (Olivier) Meikle
اللوز العربي، ميزي، مرج
For people
- Eaten by people
- Not edible
- Toxic to people
- Toxic
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Limited fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Unknown
Edibility and safety notes
Do not eat the kernels: this wild almond has small, hard-shelled fruits with highly bitter kernels, and bitter Prunus seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin) that release cyanide; large amounts can cause weakness, convulsions and death. One plant database lists the fruit and seed as edible 'if not too bitter', but no documented safe food use in Oman was found. The Omani field guide rates it good browse for goats, and overgrazing is reported as a threat elsewhere; effects on livestock are not documented. It is a rare shrub and should not be harvested.
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 broomlike deciduous shrub 0.75-2 m tall with brown bark. Leaves have 5-8 mm petioles with blades 15-44 mm long. Flowers have dark red hypanthia and sepals with white to pink petals. Becomes leafless in hot dry season, with green stems performing photosynthesis.
Habitat
Arid and semi-arid areas at 500-2700 m elevation, on limestone and volcanic rocky slopes, mountains, savannas, along riversides, gorges, dry gullies, and wadis.
Distribution
Native from Türkiye to northern Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, including Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel/Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Oman. Assessed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List; rare in Oman.
Pastoral value
Good browse for goats according to the Omani field guide; overgrazing is reported as a threat to the species.
Other uses
The kernels are highly bitter and should not be eaten. Occasionally planted for erosion control and as a windbreak; studied as a drought-tolerant genetic resource for almond breeding. Elsewhere in its range a gum and dyes from the leaves and fruit are reported. Threatened by overgrazing, drought and habitat loss.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.181)
- Plants of the World Online — Prunus arabica (Olivier) Meikle — powo.science.kew.org
- Useful Temperate Plants — Prunus arabica — temperate.theferns.info
- Exploring the wild almond, Prunus arabica (Olivier), as a genetic source for almond breeding (PMC) — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Wikipedia — Prunus arabica — en.wikipedia.org
- Plants For A Future - Prunus arabica — pfaf.org
- Ethnobotanical study, Kurd tribe, Ilam Province, Iran (PMC3746586) - Amygdalus arabica — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Threatened Prunus arabica in a protected area of Saudi Arabia (PMC6717095) — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov