Alhagi

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
Alhagi maurorum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Fabales
Family:
Fabaceae
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Hedysareae
Genus:
Alhagi

Gagnebin, 1755
Type species
Alhagi maurorum
Medik.
Species
A big plant of Alhagi in Ab Pakhsh
Alhagi flowers in Ab Pakhsh
Alhagi
Alhagi flowers

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
  1. "Alhagi persarum" (PDF). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


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