Nitraria retusa

Nitraria retusa, Nitraria tridentata, Salt tree,
Hebrew: ימלוח פגום, Arabic:غرقد كليل

Scientific name:   Nitraria retusa (Forssk.) Ascherson
Synonym name:   Nitraria tridentata Desf.
Common name:   Salt tree, Nitre bush
Hebrew name:   ימלוח פגום
Arabic name:   غرقد كليل “Gharqad/Ghardaq”
Family:   Zygophyllaceae, זוגניים


Life form:   Phanerophyte shrub
Spinescence:   Stems
Succulence:   Leaf succulent
Stems:   Up to 2m high; young shoots whitish pubescent, spiny at the apices
Leaves:   Alternate, entire, dentate or serrate
Inflorescence:   A scorpioid cyme
Flowers:   Pedicellate, c. 4-5 mm in diameter, White, fragrant
Fruits / pods:   Drupe hemispherical
Flowering Period:   April, May
Habitat:   Salty habitats
Distribution:   Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Saharo-Arabian
Summer shedding:   Perennating


Derivation of the botanical name:

Nitraria, Latin nitrum, i “natron, native soda,” Greek nitron, soda sources, the plant was first found on the saline plains in Siberia

retusa, with a rounded, slightly notched tip.
tridentata , three-toothed.
The Hebrew name: ימלוח, yamluack, nitraria, from מלח, melakh (= to salt).

  • The standard author abbreviation Forssk. is used to indicate Peter Forsskål (1732 – 1763), a Swedish explorer, orientalist and naturalist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Ascherson is used to indicate Paul Friedrich August Ascherson (1834 – 1913), a German botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Desf. is used to indicate René Louiche Desfontaines (1750 – 1833), a French botanist.

Nitraria retusa, Nitraria tridentata, a thorny shrub with fleshy, grayish, obovate, or broadly spathulate leaves, to 20mm long, 1–2 times as long as broad; some leaves retuse, dentate or crenate at apex. It is a salt-tolerant and drought-resistant species which produces fleshy red fruits. The fruits are tasty and a refreshing juice may be extract from them. Many wildlife forms feed on the fruits and leaves of this plant. The natural propagation of this species is through seeds.