| Halothamnus somalensis | |
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| Section: | Halothamnus |
| Species: | H. somalensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Halothamnus somalensis | |
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Halothamnus somalensis is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus , that is now included into the family Amaranthaceae, (formerly Chenopodiaceae). It is endemic to the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia) and is used for traditional medicine.
Halothamnus somalensis is a thorny shrub 30–90 cm high, with olive-green branches, that partly turn black when drying. The semiterete, tiny leaves are appressed to the branches, and only 0,5–3 mm long. The flowers are 3,0-4,7 mm long. The winged fruit is 8-12,5 mm in diameter, their wings never turning black even on blackened plants. The bottom of the fruit tube has very small linear grooves located near the periphery, lacking any prominent radial veins.
Halothamnus somalensis has epidermis walls with an outer cutinized layer in addition to the cuticle itself. It is the only species of the genus that shows this anatomical feature. [1]
Halothamnus somalensis is endemic in Djibouti, Somalia and dry areas of Ethiopia. Similar plants from the Arabian peninsula belong to Halothamnus bottae ssp. niger. [1] It grows in open thorny savanna on sandy, clayey or rocky ground, from 0–1750 m above sea level.
The roots of Halothamnus somalensis are traditionally used as a medicine plant against parasitic worm diseases in animals or humans. [2]
The species has been first described in 1909 by Nicholas Edward Brown as Salsola somalensis (In: Bull. Misc. Inform. 2, 1909, p. 50). [3] In 1981, Victor Petrovič Botschantzev included it into the genus Halothamnus. [4] The species has sometimes been misidentified as Halothamnus bottae, occurring on the Arabian peninsula.
In Somalia, the species is known as "gosomadowbeye" [5] ("gowsa-madobeyi", "goso-mudo-weyi", "gusomadobeye", "gosama do beya" [6] ) This name derives from the Somalian words goso (= molar teeth) and madow (= black), referring to the fact, that the teeth and lips are stained black when the plant is eaten. [5] Other commons names are "afmadobeye", [5] "dankup", [5] "mirrow", [5] "mimou", [7] or "mirgi-edalis". [6] In Djibouti, the species is called "Yagali". [8]
Halogeton is a plant genus of the family Amaranthaceae. The genus name, Halogeton, derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."
Kali turgidum, commonly known as prickly saltwort or prickly glasswort, is an annual plant that grows in salty sandy coastal soils.
Pinguicula acuminata is an insectivorous plant of the genus Pinguicula endemic to the Mexican state of Hidalgo, a member of the section Heterophyllum. It is notable for producing flowers while the winter rosette is buried beneath the soil surface. Described in 1839, it was not rediscovered until 150 years later.
Salsola is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus sensu stricto is distributed in central and southwestern Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. A common name of various members of this genus and related genera is saltwort, for their salt tolerance. The genus name Salsola is from the Latin salsus, meaning "salty".
Halothamnus is a genus in the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae. The scientific name means saltbush, from the Greek ἅλς (hals) "salt" and θαμνος (thamnos) "bush". This refers either to salty habitats or to the accumulation of salt in the plants. The genus is distributed from Southwest and Central Asia to the Arabian peninsula and East Africa.
Halothamnus subaphyllus is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae within the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Southwest and Central Asia.
Halothamnus glaucus is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Western and Central Asia.
Halothamnus auriculus is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Western and Middle Asia.
Halothamnus beckettii is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that is now included into the family Amaranthaceae,. It is the only member of the section H. sect. Pungentifolia, which differs from H. sect. Halothamnus by hard leaves with spiny apex. It is endemic to Somalia.
Halothamnus bottae is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It occurs on the Arabian peninsula.
Halothamnus iranicus is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Southwest Asia.
Halothamnus hierochunticus is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae within the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Southwest Asia and is partly considered as a weed.
Halothamnus iliensis is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Central Asia.
Dinebra is a genus of Asian, African, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family.
Halothamnus lancifolius is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus, that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae within the family Amaranthaceae,. It occurs in Southwest Asia.
Seidlitzia stocksii is a shrub species of the family Amaranthaceae.
Suaeda aegyptiaca is a species of succulent plant in the family Amaranthaceae, and salt-tolerant (halophyte) plant that is distributed in eastern North Africa, the Near East and West Asia.
Stutzia is a plant genus in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It was described in 2010, replacing the illegitimate name Endolepis. It comprises two species, that have also been included in the genus Atriplex.
Heterostachys is a genus of flowering plants in the plant family Amaranthaceae. The two species are shrubby halophytes native to South America and Central America.
Salsola melitensis is an endemic vascular plant of the Maltese archipelago. Its generic name is derived from the Latin word “salsus” which means salty, attributing to the salt tolerant nature of the species within this genus. The genus name was published in 1753 in the Species Plantarum composed by Carl Linnaeus but was reclassified again by Akhani et al. in 2007.
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