''Nitraria'' is a genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s in the family
Nitrariaceae
Nitrariaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. It comprises four genera, '' Malacocarpus'', ''Nitraria'', ''Peganum'' and ''Tetradiclis'', totalling 19 species.
The family's main range is in the arid and semi-arid regions ...
, native to
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
There are about 9 species including:
*''
Nitraria billardierei
''Nitraria billardierei'', commonly known as nitre bush or dillon bush, is a perennial shrub native to Australia. It is often found in saline areas or other areas which have been disturbed. This species produces flowers predominantly in spring, ...
'' DC., known as nitre bush or dillon bush
*''
Nitraria retusa
''Nitraria retusa'', commonly known as Nitre bush, is a salt-tolerant and drought-resistant shrub in the family Nitrariaceae. It can grow to heights of , although it seldom exceeds more than 1 m in height. It produces small white/green colou ...
'' (Forssk.) Asch.
*''
Nitraria schoberi'' L.
*''
Nitraria sibirica'' Pall.
In religions
The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said, "The Last Hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews, until a Jew will hide himself behind a stone or a tree, and the stone or the tree will say: 'O Muslim, there is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him,' but Al-Gharqad tree will not say so, for it is the tree of the Jews."
Which means that in the Armageddon war , if a Jew hides behind any tree, he will be exposed, except for the gharqad( Nitraria), because it is their trees.
References
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Nitrariaceae
{{Sapindales-stub