Cornulaca monacantha Delile
Ara.: Hadd, had, djuri, shawk el-deeb, shuk al-dib, sallj, suada. Tamahaq: Tahara, tohar, tazara, tâzera, tazaara.
Woody shrub, very intricate and branched from the base, up to 80 cm in height, green glaucous to yellowish or whitish when dried, with long internodes. Leaves tough, hardened, coriaceous, alternate, 0.3-1.2 cm long, triangular to subulate triangular, usually curved and tapered from the base, which is ± rounded, ending in a rigid spine. The whole plant is glabrous except at the leaf axil where there are tufts of long hairs. Flowers in axillary groups (2-5), surrounded by a tuft of white hairs up to 5 mm, with ± separated and rarely tight glomeruli. Bracts 8 mm, triangular subulate, spinescent and curved. Bracteoles shorter and straight. Perianth segments 2.5-3(5) mm, linear to subspatulate, obtuse and sometimes denticulate at the apex, hyaline and free. Stamens 5, fused at the base of the filaments, which are 2-3 mm long and have papery appendages, with free anthers 1.5 mm long. Ovary ovoid with 2 stigmas. Fruit perianth not winged, 3-4 mm.
Flowering:
August to September.
Fruiting:
September to December.
Habitat:
Sandy and desert terrains.
Distribution:
From the Atlantic coasts of the Sahara and the Sahel to Pakistan. In North Africa it is widely distributed throughout most of the Sahara and pre-Saharan regions. It can be locally abundant in some areas of the northern Sahara, in the rocky plains (regs) as well as in the great dunes (ergs); in Libya and Egypt it reaches the Mediterranean.
Observations:
Lebrun has considered this species as the most typical of the Sahara and Sindh region and as the best pasture for camels. In North Africa are 2 similar species from the same genus but they rarely exceed 30 cm in height; C. aucheri Moq. in Libya and C. ehrenbergii Asch. in Egypt.
Conservation status:
It is a rare species but in principle it is not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Red List of vascular plants of Egypt (Flora Aegyptiaca Vol 1, 2000) C. ehrenbergii is listed as “Extinct”.
