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Peganum harmala L.

Harmal peganum (en), Harmal (fr), Péganum de Syrie (fr), Rue de Syrie (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Nitrariaceae > Peganum

Characteristics

Dense, decumbent, woody shrub, 20–70 cm high, 30–40 cm wide. Branches terete or longi-tudinally ribbed. Leaves alternate or spirally arranged, irregularly divided, sometimes from base, into 3 or more linear segments, 2–5 cm long. Flowers white, leaf-opposed. Pedicel  10–25 mm long. Sepals 5, narrow, leaf-like, sometimes divided as in leaves, far exceeding fruit. Petals 5, 12.5–22 mm long. Stamens c. 15; filaments c. 10 mm long; anthers basifixed, 6–7 mm long. Ovary glabrous, globose; style 5–6 mm long, glabrous; stigma twisted,  3-keeled, 5 mm long, papillose on keels. Capsule 3-celled, globose, c. 10–12 mm diam.; seed black, reticulate.
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Herbs, perennial, 30-70 cm tall, erect to spreading, much branched from base, glabrous. Roots to 2 cm in diam. Leaves alternate; leaf blade ovate, divided into 3-5 linear to lanceolate-linear lobes; lobes 1-3.5 × 1.5-3 mm. Flowers opposite to leaves on apical parts of branches. Sepals 5, divided into linear lobes, 1.5-2 cm, sometimes only divided at apex. Petals 5, yellowish white, obovate-oblong, 15-20 × 6-9 mm. Stamens 15; filament base enlarged. Ovary 3-locular. Capsule globular. Seeds dark brown, slightly curved, 3-angulate, surface muriculate. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Nov. 2n = 22, 24.
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 30-70 cm tall. The leaves are alternate and the blade is divided into 3-5 narrow lobes. The flowers are yellowish white. The fruit is a round capsule. The seeds are dark brown and slightly curved. They are 3 sided.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.3 - 0.6
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.4
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in slightly salty sands and dry grasslands in desert areas. It grows between 400-3,600 m above sea level.
More
Dry steppes, especially where grazing is heavy, and dry waste places. It is often found in saline soils.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-7
Soil texture 3-7
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-10

Usage

The seeds are used as a condiment.
Uses dye environmental use food material medicinal non-vertebrate poison poison social use vertebrate poison
Edible seeds
Therapeutic use Asthma (leaf), Antirheumatic agents (leaf), Colic (leaf), Dysmenorrhea (leaf), Gallstones (leaf), Hiccup (leaf), Hysteria (leaf), Neuralgia (leaf), Lice infestations (root), Adrenergic antagonists (seed), Analgesics (seed), Anthelmintics (seed), Anti-bacterial agents (seed), Antifungal agents (seed), Anti-infective agents (seed), Antipyretics (seed), Antirheumatic agents (seed), Antiviral agents (seed), Asthma (seed), Cestoda (seed), Cholinergic antagonists (seed), Colic (seed), Dysmenorrhea (seed), Emetics (seed), Fever (seed), Histamine antagonists (seed), Hypnotics and sedatives (seed), Hysteria (seed), Narcotics (seed), Neuralgia (seed), Parasympatholytics (seed), Sleep aids, pharmaceutical (seed), Abortifacient (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Aphrodisiac (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Calculus (unspecified), Cancer(Uterus) (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Dysmenorrhea (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Eye (unspecified), Eyesight (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Fumigant (unspecified), Lactogogue (unspecified), Laryngitis (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified), Parkinsonianism (unspecified), Pediculicide (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Stupefacient (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Urogenital (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Hiccup (unspecified), Parkinsonism (unspecified), Soporific (unspecified), Repellant(Insect) (unspecified), CNS depressant (unspecified), CNS stimulant (unspecified), Hysteria (unspecified), Intoxicant (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Neuralgia (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Nerves (unspecified), Abortifacient agents (unspecified), Amenorrhea (unspecified), Anthelmintics (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Encephalitis (unspecified), Galactogogues (unspecified), Hypohidrosis (unspecified), Menstruation-inducing agents (unspecified), Abortifacient agents (whole plant), Analgesics (whole plant), Aphrodisiacs (whole plant), Galactogogues (whole plant), Menstruation-inducing agents (whole plant), Molluscacides (whole plant), General tonic for rejuvenation (whole plant), Antiperiodic (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -20
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Peganum harmala habit picture by Manuel Nieto (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Peganum harmala leaf picture by Maite Orozco (cc-by-sa)
Peganum harmala leaf picture by Josemartajorge (cc-by-sa)
Peganum harmala leaf picture by Maite Orozco (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Peganum harmala flower picture by Daoudi Belkacem (cc-by-sa)
Peganum harmala flower picture by Maite Orozco (cc-by-sa)
Peganum harmala flower picture by Jules AP (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Peganum harmala fruit picture by Aurelio Peña (cc-by-sa)
Peganum harmala fruit picture by Rossen Vassilev (cc-by-sa)
Peganum harmala fruit picture by Rossen Vassilev (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Peganum harmala world distribution map, present in Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, North Macedonia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:774545-1
WFO ID wfo-0000474572
COL ID 75Y75
BDTFX ID 48199
INPN ID 112628
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Peganum rothschildianum Mesembryanthemum caspicum Harmala multifida Harmala peganum Harmala syriaca Malacocarpus crithmifolius Peganum crithmifolium Peganon harmalum Peganum harmala

Lower taxons

Peganum harmala var. grandiflorum
WorldFloraDB 2024