Zaleya pentandra explained

Zaleya pentandra is a prostrate perennial herb of the Aizoaceae family. It is widespread in semi-arid and arid climes and also in woodlands and can adapt to different ecological zones.[1]

Distribution

The species is native to Africa with further dispersal to the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, India, and Pakistan.[2] It is sometimes called African purslane. It grows as a xero-halophyte herb in desert regions of Cholistan and Thar in Pakistan.[3]

Description

The stems are papillose to glabrous and branches pubescent. Leaves can grow in various sizes, 1.5 – 4 cm long and 0.6 - 2.7 broad; oblanceolate to elliptical, dark green with a tinge of grey on the surface.[4] Petioles are shorter than the blade at about 8 – 11 cm long with sheathing at the base.[5]

Uses

A material used by some locals in folk medicine, root and leaf extracts are applied to treat snake bites, cough or stomach issues. However, it is also considered highly toxic in some areas in India and as an invasive weed in regions of Pakistan.

In Senegal, it is used as cattle fodder.

Notes and References

  1. Protection. Plant. African purslane (Zaleya pentandra L.), a blessing in arid ecosystems: A review. Plant Protection. January 2018 .
  2. Xu. Han. 2019-07-03. The complete chloroplast genome of newly alien medicinal and toxic species, Zaleya pentandra (L.) C.Jeffrey (Aizoaceae), in China. Mitochondrial DNA Part B. en. 4. 2. 3412–3413. 10.1080/23802359.2019.1674709. 2380-2359. 7707379. 33366017.
  3. Saleem. Hammad. Zengin. Gokhan. Locatelli. Marcello. Ahmad. Irshad. Khaliq. Saharish. Mahomoodally. Mohamad Fawzi. Hussain. Riaz. Rengasamy. Kannan R.R.. Mollica. Adriano. Zainal Abidin. Syafiq Asnawi. Ahemad. Nafees. 2019. Pharmacological, phytochemical and in-vivo toxicological perspectives of a xero-halophyte medicinal plant: Zaleya pentandra (L.) Jeffrey. Food and Chemical Toxicology. en. 131. 110535. 10.1016/j.fct.2019.05.043. 31154083 . 173993850 .
  4. Munawar. S.. Naeem. M.. Ali. H.H.. Jamil. M.. Iqbal. M.. Nazir. M.Q.. Balal. R.M.. Safdar. M.E.. 2015. SEED DORMANCY BREAKING TREATMENTS FORAFRICAN PURSLANE (Zaleya pentandra). Planta Daninha. 33. 4. 623–629. 10.1590/S0100-83582015000400001. 0100-8358. free.
  5. Web site: Zaleya pentandra (L.) C.Jeffrey. 2021-07-03. www.worldfloraonline.org.

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