''Tribulus'' is a genus of plants in the family

Zygophyllaceae Zygophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains the bean-caper and caltrop. The family includes around 285 species in 22 genera. Plants in the family Zygophyllaceae may be trees, shrubs, or herbs. They are often found in dry habit ...

and found in diverse climates and soils worldwide from

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

s 35°S to 47°N. The best-known member is '' T. terrestris'' (puncture vine), a widespread invasive species and weed. ''Tribulus'' species are

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

, but some grow as annuals in colder climates. The leaves are opposite and compound. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are perfect (hermaphroditic) and insect-pollinated, with fivefold symmetry. The ovary is divided into locules that are in turn divided by "false septa" (the latter distinguish ''Tribulus'' from other members of its family). Some species are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

s in warm regions. Some, notably '' T. cistoides'', '' T. longipetalus'', '' T. terrestris,'' and '' T. zeyheri'', are considered

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

s. ''

Tribulus omanense ''Tribulus'' is a genus of plants in the family Zygophyllaceae and found in diverse climates and soils worldwide from latitudes 35°S to 47°N. The best-known member is '' T. terrestris'' (puncture vine), a widespread invasive species and weed. ...

'' is the national flower of Dubai. Thirteen species of ''Tribulus'' are accepted by The Plant List, but there are many names still unresolved and needing further study.

List of accepted species

Devil's thorn flower (Tribulus zeyheri), Kalahari

(According to Plants of the world online) #'' Tribulus adelacanthus''

R.M.Barker Robyn M. Barker (born 1948) is an Honorary Research Associate of the South Australian Herbarium. She now works part-time, her duties include maintenance of the Vascular Plant Census for the State. Barker's research interests also include syst ...

#'' Tribulus arabicus'' Hosni #''

Tribulus astrocarpus ''Tribulus'' is a genus of plants in the family Zygophyllaceae and found in diverse climates and soils worldwide from latitudes 35°S to 47°N. The best-known member is ''Tribulus terrestris, T. terrestris'' (puncture vine), a widespread invasiv ...

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...

#'' Tribulus bimucronatus''

Viv. Domenico Viviani (29 July 1772, Levanto, Liguria – 15 February 1840, Genoa) was an Italian botanist and naturalist. In 1803, he was named professor of botany at the University of Genoa, where he is credited with the founding of its botanical ...

#''

Tribulus cistoides ''Tribulus cistoides'', also called wanglo (in Aruba), the Jamaican feverplant or puncture vine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae, which is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Habitat Tribulus Cist ...

'' L. #'' Tribulus cristatus''

C.Presl Carl Borivoj Presl ( cs, Karel Bořivoj Presl; 17 February 1794 – 2 October 1852) was a Czechs, Czech botanist. Biography Presl lived his entire life in Prague, and was a professor of botany at the Charles University in Prague, University of P ...

#'' Tribulus echinops'' Kers #'' Tribulus eichlerianus''

K.L.Wilson Karen Louise Wilson (born 1950) is an Australian botanist. Some of her research interests are: systematics, phylogenetic and biogeographic studies on Cyperaceae, Casuarinaceae, Juncaceae and Polygonaceae. Other professional interests include ...

#'' Tribulus excrucians'' Wawra #'' Tribulus forrestii''

#''

Tribulus hirsutus ''Tribulus'' is a genus of plants in the family Zygophyllaceae and found in diverse climates and soils worldwide from latitudes 35°S to 47°N. The best-known member is '' T. terrestris'' (puncture vine), a widespread invasive species and weed. ...

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

#'' Tribulus hystrix'' R.Br. #'' Tribulus incanus'' Hosni #'' Tribulus kaiseri'' Hosni #'' Tribulus macrocarpus''

#'' Tribulus macropterus''

Boiss. Pierre Edmond Boissier (25 May 1810 Geneva – 25 September 1885 Valeyres-sous-Rances) was a Swiss prominent botanist, explorer and mathematician. He was the son of Jacques Boissier (1784-1857) and Caroline Butini (1786-1836), daughter of Pierr ...

#'' Tribulus megistopterus'' Kralik #'' Tribulus micrococcus''

Domin Karel Domin (4 May 1882, Kutná Hora, Kingdom of Bohemia – 10 June 1953, Prague) was a Czech botanist and politician. After gymnasium school studies in Příbram, he studied botany at the Charles University in Prague, and graduated in 1906 ...

#'' Tribulus minutus'' Leichh. ex

#'' Tribulus mollis'' Ehrenb. ex

Schweinf. Georg August Schweinfurth (29 December 1836 – 19 September 1925) was a Baltic German botanist and ethnologist who explored East Central Africa. Life and explorations He was born at Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire. He was ...

#'' Tribulus occidentalis'' R.Br. #''

'' Hosni #'' Tribulus parvispinus''

#'' Tribulus pentandrus'' Forssk. #'' Tribulus platypterus''

#'' Tribulus ranunculiflorus''

#'' Tribulus securidocarpus'' Engl. #'' Tribulus spurius'' Kralik #'' Tribulus suberosus'' H.Eichler ex

#'' Tribulus subramanyamii'' P.Singh, G.S.Giri & V.Singh #''

Tribulus terrestris ''Tribulus terrestris'' is an annual plant in the caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae) widely distributed around the world. It is adapted to thrive in dry climate locations in which few other plants can survive. It is native to warm temperate and t ...

'' L. #'' Tribulus zeyheri''

Sond. Otto Wilhelm Sonder (18 June 1812, Bad Oldesloe – 21 November 1881) was a German botanist and pharmacist. Life A native of Holstein, Sonder studied at Kiel University, where he sat pharmaceutical examinations in 1835, before becoming the prop ...

Uses

''T. terrestris'' has been cultivated to inhibit soil erosion and to improve soil moisture, texture, and water-holding capability in deserts and barren lands. Although ''T. terrestris'' extracts have been used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

and as a dietary supplement for

bodybuilders Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

, there is no high-quality clinical evidence that it is effective or safe for these purposes.

References

External links

''Tribulus''
in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database

from ''The Families of Flowering Plants'', L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz {{authority control Rosid genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants described in 1753