It is an evergreen shrub with height of 3 m and bush diameter of approximately 3 m. It is a C4 halophilous plant; salt is accumulated in cells called trichomes on the surface of leaves. Therefore, the leaves seem to blow white powder. In general, it is a dioecious, but in rare cases, it is monecious. Male flowers are yellowish brown, and female flowers are bluish gray, similar to the leaves. Anemophilous flower. The species in the Arid Land Research Center is monoecious and blooms from April to May. The roots reach the depth of 3.5 m. Has strong xerotolerance, such as being cultivable even in areas with annual precipitation of 150 mm. In addition, it has strong heat tolerance and cold tolerance, and it can grow even in low-nutrient soil. Propagation is performed by seeding and cutting.
It has been introduced and cultivated in the dry areas of Africa and western Asia for sand dune stabilization and as livestock feed.
Uses:
Leaf (animal feed)
References
de Kock, G.C. 1980. Drought resistant fodder shrub crops in South Africa.
In: Houerou, L. (ed.). Brows in Africa: The Current State of Knowledge,
Knowledge. International Livestock Center for Africa (ILCA), Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia (http://www.ilri.cgiar.org/InfoServ/Webpub/fulldocs/BROWSE_IN_AFRICA/toc.htm#TopOfPage)
Gibson, A.C. 1996. Structure-Function Relations of Warm Desert Plants. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, Germany.
Riveros, F. 1985. Fodder shrubs in Libya. In: Habit, M.A. (ed.). The Current
State of knowledge on Prosopis tamarugo. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Regional Office
for Latin America and the Caribbean Plant Production and Protection Division.
(http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad316e/AD316E00.htm#TOC)
