''Leptadenia pyrotechnica'' (; ) 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. Notable mem ...

. It is widespread from

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. 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 Pioneer species are resilient species that are the first to colonize barren environments, or to repopulate disrupted biodiverse steady-state ecosystems as part of ecological succession. Various kinds of events can create good conditions for pi ...

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 a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

are on top, whilst the stigma and

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s 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) 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 Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

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 review in 2016 of the literature devoted to the species presented it as possessing

antifungal An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as ...

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 ant ...

antioxidant Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...

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 without causing significant damage to the host. They may also ...

, antiatherosclerotic, hypolipidemic, antdiabetic and hepatoprotective properties coupled with other multifarious uses. Almost all parts of the plant are used in the traditional medicinal systems of the various countries in which it grows.

Possible ritual use in ancient Judaism

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 t ...

Adin Steinsaltz Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (; 11 July 19377 August 2020) was an Israeli Chabad Chasidic rabbi, teacher, philosopher, social critic, author, translator and publisher. His '' Steinsaltz edition of the Talmud'' was originally published in ...

tentatively identifies this species as the lost '' ma'aleh ashan'', which formed a key ingredient of the

incense Incense is an 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 ceremonial reasons. It ...

('' ketoret'') offered daily by the

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

on the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

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 Combustibility and flammability, combustible material used to Firemaking, 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 unt ...

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 ar ...

. 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 The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...

in 70 CE. According to the

Temple Institute The Temple Institute, known in Hebrew as Machon HaMikdash (), is an organization in Israel and the Palestinian Authority focusing on establishing the Third Temple. Its long-term aims are to build the third Temple in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount� ...

, "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 Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insol ...

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 mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

and the bamboo-like shrub '' Leycesteria formosa'' - indeed, to this day, the Chinese consider the popping of burning bamboo stems in bonfires to be

apotropaic Apotropaic magic (From ) 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 superstition or out of tr ...

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.

Snack food

Shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

s in

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

snack on the raw flowers of the plant, while tending their flocks in the arid areas in which it grows.

Gallery

File:Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Khimp).JPG, Leafless stems in flower File:Leptadenia pyrotechnica 03.JPG, Clustered axillary inflorescence File:Leptadenia pyrotechnica pods.JPG, Mass of (harvested) unripe follicles File:Leptadenia pyrotechnica pods1.JPG, Lined-up, harvested follicles

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1820147 Asclepiadoideae Fruits originating in Africa Flora of Asia Plants described in 1775