''Cornulaca aucheri'' is a native spiny undershrub of the family

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, maki ...

, naturally found in arid and semi-arid environments, especially across the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

Description

This species is a low spiny undershrub with a thick, non‑succulent stem and rigid, deflexed leaves. Its stems branch from the base, attaining heights of 15–30 cm in Qatar. The plant’s foliage bears small, sharp leaves, and its flowers appear in clusters of 2–3 in upper axils. The fruiting perianth segments often taper into spines.

Habitat

The species thrives in sandy soils, particularly along coastal dunes and

sabkha A sabkha () is a predominately coastal, supratidal mudflat or sandflat in which evaporite-saline minerals accumulate as the result of a semiarid to arid climate. Sabkhas are gradational between land and intertidal zone within restricted coast ...

margins. It occupies semi-stabilized sands and sandy flats.

Distribution

''Cornulaca aucheri'' ranges from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, including the

Ecological and local significance

The plant is traditionally used as fodder for camels, despite its spines.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15590138 Amaranthaceae Flora of the Arabian Peninsula Flora of Qatar Flora of Kuwait Flora of North Africa