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Spider Flower

Cleome arabica

Description:

One of the most beautiful blooms in South Sinai, with quite possibly the foulest smelling leaves. The flowers are yellow and purplish-red with four petals.

Habitat:

coastal desert wadi, rocky

Notes:

The Bedouin of the Jebelya tribe call this plant "jen-nee-na", which translates roughly as "a thing that maddens", because they believe that if their goats eat this plant, the animals become crazy.

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2 Comments

Bernadette S
Bernadette S 6 years ago

It's the leaves that give off such a strong odor, you can smell the plant from a short distance. Smells to me vaguely of petrol. I wonder what it smells like to other critters.

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 6 years ago

Why would such an attractive flower smell badly.

Bernadette S
Spotted by
Bernadette S

دهب, جنوب سيناء, Egypt

Spotted on Jan 13, 2018
Submitted on Jan 14, 2018

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