''Leptadenia pyrotechnica'' ( hi, खींप; pa, ਖਿੱਪ) is the botanical name of a desert herb of the family
Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is known as in Hindi and Urdu, and in Punjabi.L. R. Burdak (1982): Recent advances in desert afforestation, Dehradun, p.66
Being highly drought-resistant, ''Leptadenia pyrotechnica'' has played an important role in the desert afforestation programs. The herb is a strong soil binder and, as such, is one of the pioneer species in sand dune fixation.
Description
''Leptadenia pyrotechnica'' is heavily branched and reaches heights of up to 3 metres. The shrub's long roots reach up to 12 metres below the surface. The leaves of the green to grey-green branches tend to fall off early. When present, they are opposite, sessile, elongated to linear, glabrous and about 2 cm long and 3 mm wide.
The very small, greenish-yellow, hermaphrodite and five-fold, short-stalked flowers with a double inflorescence have a diameter of 2 mm and stand in axillary, small cymous inflorescences. The flowers are fine-haired and have a minimal, fleshy corolla. The two
ovaries
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...
are on top, whilst the stigma and stamens are fused into a very short gynostegium.
The narrow, many-seeded, green, follicular fruits reach 8–11 cm in length. When ripe (like those of the related
milkweeds
''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...
) they dehisce to liberate pappus-tufted seeds, which are carried off by the wind.M. Arbonnier: ''Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones seches d'Afrique de l'Ouest.'' CIRAD, Montpellier 2000, .
Uses
The plant is used in thatching huts. The unripe 'pods' (actually follicles) of this shrub (known in
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
as ()) which ripen in the month of March, are of medicinal value and are also used as a vegetable. The fibre from the plant is used for making ropes. The plant itself is browsed by all stock, but most especially by camels for which it is considered a good fodder.
Use in traditional medicine
A recent review of the literature devoted to the species presented it as possessing antifungal,
antibacterial
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...
,
anticancer An anticarcinogen (also known as a carcinopreventive agent) is a substance that counteracts the effects of a carcinogen or inhibits the development of cancer. Anticarcinogens are different from anticarcinoma agents (also known as anticancer or an ...
wound healing
Wound healing refers to a living organism's replacement of destroyed or damaged tissue by newly produced tissue.
In undamaged skin, the epidermis (surface, epithelial layer) and dermis (deeper, connective layer) form a protective barrier again ...
,
anthelmintic
Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may ...
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Adin Steinsaltz
Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (11 July 19377 August 2020) ( he, עדין אבן-ישראל שטיינזלץ) was an Israeli Chabad Chasidic rabbi, teacher, philosopher, social critic, author, translator and publisher.
His '' Steinsaltz edi ...
tentatively identifies this species as the lost '' ma'aleh ashan'', which formed a key ingredient of the
incense
Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...
(''
ketoret
The incense offering ( he, ) in Judaism was related to perfumed offerings on the altar of incense in the time of the Tabernacle and the First and Second Temple period, and was an important component of priestly liturgy in the Temple in Jerusal ...
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The shrub is known for its flammability - whence the specific name '' pyrotechnica'', bestowed on it because it was used both as a
tinder
Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder i ...
and as an inextinguishable
slow match
Slow match, also called match cord, is the slow-burning cord or twine fuse used by early gunpowder musketeers, artillerymen, and soldiers to ignite matchlock muskets, cannons, shells, and petards. Slow matches were most suitable for use aroun ...
. Its addition to the incense employed in priestly ritual might thus have ensured that the aromatic smoke so generated would rise in a perfectly vertical fashion (i.e. directly up to God) - as described in accounts of the burning of the incense used in the temple.
The recipe for the sacred incense containing the flammable plant ''ma'aleh ashan'' (and the identity of the plant itself) were closely-guarded secrets, known only to the Avtinas family who perished without revealing them, refusing to disclose them until their ultimate loss following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
According to the
Temple Institute
The Temple Institute, known in Hebrew as Machon HaMikdash ( he, מכון המקדש), is an organization in Israel focusing on the endeavor of establishing the Third Temple. Its long-term aims are to build the third Jewish temple on the Temple M ...
, "In our own time, some have speculated that this may be the plant ''Leptadenia pyrotechnica'', which contains nitric acid ic"
A recent study undertaken in Saudi Arabia did not, however, reveal unusually high levels of nitrates in the species (of the kind which would account for high flammability) when compared with those of various other desert plants, although this does not necessarily rule out the possibility of higher nitrate levels in Israeli populations of the plant.
Similar firework-like behaviour of fistular plant stems was noted also in ancient China in regard to the hollow stems of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
and the bamboo-like shrub ''
Leycesteria formosa
''Leycesteria formosa'', the pheasant berry, is a deciduous shrub in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Himalayas and southwestern China. It is considered a noxious invasive species in Australia, New Zealand, the neighbouring islands of Mic ...
'' - indeed, to this day, the Chinese consider the popping of burning bamboo stems in bonfires to be
apotropaic
Apotropaic magic (from Greek "to ward off") or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superst ...
and to have been the inspiration for the invention of pyrotechnics - whereby mixtures containing oxidising salts (such as nitrates) were packed in tubes of similar form.