Alhagi

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Faboideae
Tribus: Hedysareae
Genus: Alhagi
Species: A. brevispina – A. maurorum – A. nepalensis
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Alhagi in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Feb 01. Reference page.

Name

Alhagi Gagnebin (1755)

Type species: A. maurorum Medik.

Synonyms

Manna D.Don

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Asia & Africa
Afghanistan, Algeria, Altay, Chad, China North-Central, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt, Greece, Gulf States, India, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, North Caucasus, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qinghai, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, South European Russia, Sudan, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Xinjiang, Yemen
Introduced into:
California, Cape Provinces, Colorado, Czechoslovakia, Mexico Northwest, New Mexico, New South Wales, South Australia, Texas, Utah, Victoria, Western Australia

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Gagnebin, A. 1755. Acta Helvetica, Physico-Mathematico-Anatomico-Botanico-Medica 2: 59.

Additional references

Yakovlev G.P., Egorova T.V., Goncharov M.Y. 2003. On typification of the genus Alhagi (Fabaceae). Botanicheskii Zhurnal (St. Petersburg) 88: 101–106.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Alhagi in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Feb 01. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Alhagi. Published online. Accessed: Feb 01 2021.
Tropicos.org 2021. Alhagi. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Feb 01.
Hassler, M. 2021. Alhagi. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 Feb 01. Reference page.

Vernacular names
العربية: عاقول
čeština: Manovec
suomi: Kuropalot
polski: Bożodajnia
русский: Верблюжья колючка
中文: 骆驼刺属 中文

Alhagi is a genus of Old World plants in the family Fabaceae. They are commonly called camelthorns or manna trees. There are three to five species.

Alhagi species have proportionally the deepest root system of any plants - a 1 m high shrub may have a main root more than 15 m long; due to their deep root system Alhagi species are drought-avoiding plants that utilize ground water, adapting in that way perfectly to the hyper-arid environment.

Alhagi species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora argyrella which feeds exclusively on A. maurorum.

The genus name comes from the Arabic word for pilgrim.
Benefits in Unani Medicine

Alhagi in Persian is "KhareShotor" which means thistle of camels, as camels can eat it with its thorns. As such, it was figured out that the plant can retain the abdominal organs in severe thirst. In the Middle East, its boiled or distillated juice is used against kidney and bladder stones. Also, the plant foliage is the habitat of a special insect which produces Manna of hedysarum or Tarangabeen, which is a honey remedy for neonatal jaundice.[1]
References

"Alhagi persarum" (PDF).