Prosopis farcta
Prosopis farcta
Safety & Hazards
The seeds contain saponins. When large quantities are eaten they can cause inflammation to the digestive tract and quick peristalsis. Sensor and motor nerve fibers are also affected in a serious way Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans. Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ].
Botanical Description
Prosopis farcta is a much-branched, deciduous, prickly shrub or sub-shrub usually growing 30 - 80cm tall, though sometimes becoming more tree-like up to 2 - 3 metres tall[ 491 Title Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 57 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Harvard University Year 1976 ISBN Description A botanical magazine, this issue has a comprehensive treatment of the genus Prosopis as well as several other articles. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. Occasionally (especially in the Jordan Valley), it can adopt a more climbing habit and has been seen to grow 8 - 10 metres tall into Populus euphratica trees. A deep-rooted plant, it often spreads freely by means of root suckers and can form dense thickets[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. , 491 Title Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 57 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Harvard University Year 1976 ISBN Description A botanical magazine, this issue has a comprehensive treatment of the genus Prosopis as well as several other articles. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. Although often viewed as a weed, in semi-arid areas such as in Iraq the plant is seen as an essential and integral part of a cropping system that has maintained the fertility of the ground and allowed profitable barley cultivation for thousands of years[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ]. The plant's ability to spread freely at the roots, and its ability to invade open areas such as fields, have led it to becoming viewed as a weed in many areas[ 491 Title Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 57 Publication Author Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Harvard University Year 1976 ISBN Description A botanical magazine, this issue has a comprehensive treatment of the genus Prosopis as well as several other articles. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ].