Question
Asked 11th May, 2015
What is the name of this plant?
I photographed it in Lybia, Marsa El Brega, in January, 2014. This is a small bush and regularly found close to the seashore. The berries tastes sweet-salty whne is little away from sea rather sweat but somehow strange (hope not posining?). Anybody knows its name?
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Most recent answer
Thank You.
Hope, it is not poisonous? During my time in Libya, I used to eat the red berries of Niraria, it was partly sweet but partly salty.
Attila
All Answers (19)
I think it is also a Licyum species but probably not identifical which I displayes first becasue the first (up) strictly restricted to salty seashore and this Lycium (?) lives little far from sea in semi desert area. When the first has red berries, this has violet flowers.
Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape
Dear Attila,
I hope it is helpful to try the Lycium key in Flore de la Tunisie: http://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/ing/Libro.php?Libro=3760&Pagina=176
Lycium intricatum looks similar to your first plant. However, according to Euro+Med Plantbase (http://ww2.bgbm.org/EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=100554&PTRefFk=7100000 ) it is not recorded for Libya. Flore de la Tunisie tells, that L. intricatum sometimes is cultivated. Maybe this is an explanation.
If you want to try Nouvelle flore d'Algérie, it can be downloaded from the following page: http://www.tela-botanica.org/page:ouvrages_flore The same four species as in Flore de la Tunisie are treated.
From the species, which additionally are listed for Libya by Euro+Med Plantbase, maybe Lycium shawii comes into question.
1 Recommendation
King Saud University
This is not Lycium shawii at all. This is Nitraria retusa of Zygophyllaceae family, usually grows in saline habitats not far away from sea shores. It is a Sahrao-Arabian species, common in North Africa, NW Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Palastine
2 Recommendations
King Saud University
The first set of photographs belongs to Nitraria retusa. The second set belongs to genus Lycium, probably L. shawii.
1 Recommendation
Slovak Academy of Sciences
I can confirm the determination and you, I hope, that the fruits are edible, refreshing and tasty
The fruits was very interesting. Half sweet and half salty. not refreshing at all. I think salty because of the seashore-sand area where they grow.
Banaras Hindu University
The plant is Nitraria retusa (Forssk) Asch. of Nitrariaceae family. It is a salt tolerant desert shrub native to North Africa.
1 Recommendation
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
Nitraria retusa, one of the best plants trapping mobile sand, with a red seeds appears in beginning of summer time.
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
Dear all
It is called (Niraria retusa) very effecient plant in controlling mobile sand and dust, one marvelous thing about this plant that if you see it flourishing it means that the fresh ground water depth is less rhan 3m. Read more about it in the following researches:
- 2. Morphological characteristics and development.pdf689.82 KB
- 19. Characteristics of nabkhas in relation to dominant....pdf10.48 MB
- 13. Textural variations within different.pdf888.82 KB
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