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Cynomorium coccineum
Parasitic plant that takes its nutrition from the roots of a range of salt tolerant plants (halophytes) including members of the families Cistaceae and Amaranthaceae. The common name stems from the Knights of Malta, who thought it was a fungus and carried it to help them heal wounds received in battle. It was also used to treat a whole host of other conditions, including (big leap of the imagination ;) ) erectile dysfunction. Modern chemical analysis has found it to be effective for the former, potentially for the later and extracts even appear to inhibit HIV.
The Tabernas Desert (AKA The Badlands) a harsh environment that receives around 18cm of rain/year, has a high salinity and is populated by halophytes. The classic Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns were shot here See also: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/754...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynomorium_... Some great pics on the wonderful Parasitic Plants Connection: http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/Cynom...
Spotted on Apr 7, 2011
Submitted on Oct 14, 2011
3 Comments
Extraordinary plant. Thanks Craig.
Cheers Bob. That's a great article.
For more on this incredible plant, you might want to read this article: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/20...
All the best,
Bob