''Alhagi'' is a genus of

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

plants in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. They are commonly called camelthorns or manna trees. There are four accepted species, which range from northern Africa and Greece through western and central Asia to India and northern China. ''Alhagi'' species have proportionally the deepest root system of any plants - a high shrub may have a main root more than long; due to their deep root system ''Alhagi'' species are drought-avoiding plants that utilize ground water, adapting in that way perfectly to the hyper-arid environment. ''Alhagi'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including '' Coleophora argyrella'' which feeds exclusively on ''A. maurorum''. The genus name comes from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

word for ''

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

''.

Species

Four species are accepted: * '' Alhagi brevispina'' – Chad (

Tibesti Mountains The Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of Chad, with a small portion located in southern Libya. The highest peak in the range, Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of and i ...

) * '' Alhagi graecorum'' – Greece, western Asia, Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa * ''

Alhagi maurorum ''Alhagi maurorum'' is a species of legume commonly known, variously, as camelthorn, Caspian manna,The name ''Alhagi maurorum'', replacing Linnaeus' ''Hedysarum alhagi'', was first published in ''Vorlesungen der Churpfälzischen physicalisch-ö ...

'' – levant and the Caucasus to central Asia, India, and Xinjiang * '' Alhagi pseudalhagi'' – North Africa and Greece through western and Central Asia to the western Himalayas and northern China

Uses in traditional medicine

''Alhagi'' in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

is خارشُتُر (''xâr-e šotor'') which means "thistle of camels", as camels can eat it with its thorns. Its foliage is the habitat of a

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the Order (biology), order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient g ...

which produces ''Manna of hedysarum'' or Tarangabeen, which is used as a remedy for

neonatal jaundice Neonatal jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the white part of the eyes and skin in a newborn baby due to high bilirubin levels. Other symptoms may include excess sleepiness or poor feeding. Complications may include seizures, cerebral ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment

Alhagi maurorum Medik
* Water relation characteristics of ''Alhagi sparsifolia'' and consequences for a sustainable managemen

Hedysareae Fabaceae genera {{Faboideae-stub