Nitraria

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Nitraria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Nitrariaceae, native to Africa, Europe, Asia, Russia and Australia.

Read about Nitraria in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nitraria (Latin nilrum, natron; in reference to its habitat in nitrous soil). Zygophyllaceae. Niterbush. Four low rigid shrubs distributed from S. Russia to Mongolia, W. China and Persia and through Asia Minor to Arabia and N. Afr., with alternate small fleshy, entire or dentate, stipulate Lvs. and with small white or yellowish green fls. in terminal cymes followed by berry-like drupes: calyx 5-parted; fleshy; petals 5, concave; stamens 15; ovary superior, conic-oblong, attenuated into a very short style with 3 connivent stigmas, 2-6-celled: fr. an ovoid drupe with a sculptured 1-seeded stone dehiscent at the apex; cotyledons often 3. The following species is sometimes cult, in European botanic gardens and has been intro. recently by the Dept. of Agric. into this country and recommended as a sand-binder for cooler semi-arid regions; its fleshy fr. is edible. Prop, by seeds and by layers. It is of difficult cult, under ordinary conditions, as it is, like most desert plants, impatient of too much moisture and seedlings particularly are liable to damp off. It grows well in saline and alkaline soils; in ordinary soil an application of salt is recommended to grow it successfully. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Species

There are about 9 species including:

• Nitraria billardierei DC. , known as Nitre Bush or Dillon Bush
• Nitraria retusa (Forssk.) Asch.
• Nitraria schoberi L.
• Nitraria sibirica Pall.

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Nitraria. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Nitraria QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)