Botanical description
Perennial leafless shrub up to 3m high, milky latex produced when stems or branches broken, branches are smooth, slender, and green.
Leaves
Appears only in early stage of growth and soon falling off.
Flowers
Small, yellow in colour, fragrant at dusk
Fruits
Are cylindrical and tapering to point, sometimes paired, with numerous flat brown seeds, attached to long white hairs.
Flowering
From November to June
Habitat
The species prefer the sandy plains and low dunes habitat.
Distribution
It is common and widespread through the northern emirates, and eastern parts of Abu Dhabi Emirate.
Globally
It is native to Senegal, Mauritania to north of Nigeria, and in the semi-desert areas across Africa to western India. (Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Chad, Libya, Algeria, Pakistan and India)
Uses
The flower buds are edible. Many medicinal uses of the species are reported in traditional medicine, the branches of the plant are diuretic and the use of infusion of branches could help in the treatment of retention of urine. Also, the plant yields a fibre which used in indigenous medicine as an antihistaminic and expectorant. Further more, it is used for treatment of gout and rheumatism. Its fibreis tough and does not rot in water and is suitable to be spun into rope. Owing to its high cellulose content it has also been used in carpets since ancient times.