''Nitraria retusa'', commonly known as Nitre bush, is a salt-tolerant and drought-resistant

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

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 ...

. It can grow to heights of , although it seldom exceeds more than 1 m in height. It produces small white/green coloured flowers and small edible red

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

. The plant is native to desert areas of northern

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 ...

, where it grows in

primary succession Primary succession is the beginning step of ecological succession after an extreme disturbance, which usually occurs in an environment devoid of vegetation and other organisms. These environments are typically lacking in soil, as disturbances l ...

on barren

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

s, and in areas with high salinities such as salt marshes.

Description

''Nitraria retusa'' is a bush growing to a maximum height of about . The twigs are furry when young, with the bluish-grey fleshy leaves being alternate, wedge or sickle-shaped, with entire margins and measuring by . The small, sweetly-scented, whitish or greenish flowers have short

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

and parts in fives. The fruit is a triangular

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

, in diameter.

Distribution and habitat

This plant is native to North and East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. It typically grows in salt marshes and semi-arid saline areas of deserts and it can help in the stabilisation of loose soils.

Ecology

In the

Moghra Oasis The Moghra Oasis is an uninhabited oasis in the northeastern part of the Qattara Depression in the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert of Egypt. It has a lake containing brackish water, salt marshes and a swamp with Phragmites, reeds. Geograph ...

, ''N. retusa'' plays an important role in the stabilisation of sand dunes. Here it is the dominant plant in some zones, forming hummocks known as

nabkha A nabkha, nebkha or nebka is a type of sand dune. Other terms used include coppice dune and dune hummock or hummocky dune, but these more accurately refer to similar, but different, sand dune types.Langford, R. P. (2000)Nabkha (coppice dune) fie ...

s, where windblown materials heap up at the base of the plants. It shows a range of tolerances toward

soil salinity Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. Salts occur naturally within soils and water. Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the ...

and the availability of water. Near the lake, where salinity is low and the water table high, it associates with the ''

sea rush Sea rush is a common name for several rushes in the genus ''Juncus'' and may refer to: *''Juncus kraussii'', native to the Southern hemisphere *''Juncus maritimus ''Juncus maritimus'', known as the sea rush, is a species of rush that grows on c ...

'', the

common reed ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

salt grass ''Distichlis spicata'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by several common names, including seashore saltgrass, inland saltgrass, and desert saltgrass. This grass is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It can be found on other con ...

and ''

Zygophyllum album ''Tetraena alba'' (synonym ''Zygophyllum album'') is a species of plant in the family Zygophyllaceae which is found in arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a salt tolerant plant and dominates many of the plant communities in w ...

''. At the outer fringe of the vegetated zone, where the salinity is high and the water table deep, it grows with ''Z.album'' and the Nile tamarisk.

Uses

The fruit turns red as it ripens and is enjoyed by humans and wildlife, which spread the seed. Camels and goats feed on the succulent leaves of this plant and desert-dwellers have used it as a source of salt. The wood is used for fuel and the fruits are sometimes used to make an intoxicating drink. ''N. retusa'' is one of a number of salt-tolerant plants that are being investigated as potential fodder crops for livestock.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2576228 Nitrariaceae Desert flora Flora of North Africa Taxa named by Paul Friedrich August Ascherson Taxa named by Peter Forsskål Flora of the Arabian Peninsula