Alhagi mannifera - Manna Tree

Famille: Leguminosae, Genre: Alhagi
Arbuste à feuilles caduques (1m de haut).

Habitat

Exposition
Plein soleil
Humidité
Sol sec à moyen.
Sol
Sol léger à moyen. Nécessite un sol drainant.
pH
Sol acide ou calcaire
Habitat originel
Waste places, sand dunes etc in Turkey[93].
Origine géographique
N. Africa - Egypt to Turkey.

Comestibilité

  • A sweet-tasting manna is exuded from the twigs at flowering time [2, 22, 46, 61].
  • It is exuded during hot weather according to one report[1], whilst another says that the twigs themselves are chewed [177].
  • Racine - cuite .
  • A famine food, it is only used in times of need [46, 61, 177].

Usages médicinaux

  • The whole plant is diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant and laxative [46, 114].
  • An oil from the leaves is used in the treatment of rheumatism [238].
  • The flowers are used in the treatment of piles [238].

Culture

  • Requires a sunny position in a well-drained light or medium soil .
  • Plants are not very hardy in Britain, they can be grown outdoors in the summer but require protection in the winter [1].
  • Ces plantes ont une relation symbiotique avec des bactéries du sol qui forment des nodules sur les racines et fixent l'azote atmosphérique .
  • Une partie de cet azote est utilisé par la plante mais une partie est disponible aux autres plantes poussant à proximité [200].

Propagation

  • Seed - pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow March/April in a warm greenhouse .
  • When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least the first winter .
  • Plant out into their permanent positions in the summer .
  • Cuttings of young shoots in a frame [1].

Calendrier

En fleur
7

Pollinisation

Type de fleur
Hermaphrodite (les fleurs ont des organes mâles et femelles)
Auto-fertile
Non

Divers

Pollution
Non
Autres réferences
[1, 93]

Réferences

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 1951.
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. 1972.
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. 1959.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. 1974.
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[93] Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. 1965.
Not for the casual reader, this is an immense work in many volumes. Some details of plant uses and habitats.
[114] Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq.
It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. 1984.
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. 1995.
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

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