Flora

Trichodesma africanum (L.) Sm.

Common Name: Harsha.

Family: Boraginaceae

Flowering Time: Feb-Jun

General Appearance

Trichodesma africanum (L.) Sm., it is an annual herb, ± densely branched up to 50 cm tall, usually with a woody base, densely bristly or setose with tubercle-based hairs mostly glabrous between the tubercles. Lower leaves long-petioled, 15-50 (-60) x 10-25 (-35) mm, 1anceolate-ovate or ovate, rarely oblong, acute. Upper leaves almost sessile to sub sessile. Panicle lax, terminal or axillary often bipartite with light blue flowers and 5-15 mm long pedicels. Calyx 5-partite, truncate at bas, slightly auricled, 5-6 mm long increasing up to 12 mm in fruit, 5-6 mm broad, densely pilose, lobes acute or acuminate. Corolla lobes narrowly triangular or triangular-ovate, 4-5 mm long, tube 5-6 mm long. Anthers 5-7 mm long, villous at base with a glabrous arista (acumin). Stigma capitate on 6-7 mm long, filiform style. Nutlets ovate trigonal, minutely tuberculate, with a denticulate margin, prominently carinate, 3-5 x3 mm.

Life Form

Phytochoria

The native range of this species is Cape Verde, Sahara to NW. India, Angola to Cape Prov.

Distribution in Libya

Zliten-Misurata Plain: Misurata (Sassu Valley) 2016

Benghazi Plain: Ajdabia (Al-Bedan) 2016

Al-Qibla area: Wadis South of Mizda 2013

Al-Jufra area: Gebel Soda 1972 (98 km) from Hun to Sebha, Wadi Soda, along the main dried water stream. 1973 Grar Al-Tiprani, (23,31 km ) from Weshka gravel 1975

Ghat area: (9 km) before Tifit 1977 Ghat (Between Acacus and Tassili Mountains) 2004 Wadi Tanezzuft 2012

Notes

Wild in Libya, in sandy soil. with loamy top at some places. it is a good camel fodder. The root produces red dye and used in the same way as Henna.

Link of images: https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Trichodesma+africanum

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:121223-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/121223-1, https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000410966, https://www.gbif.org/species/5661084, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/76909/trichodesma-africanum-l-r-br, https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/boraginaceae/trichodesma-africanum, https://www.ksanature.com/plants/trichodesma_africanum/, https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Trichodesma+africanum

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S. M. H. & El-Gadi, A. (1979) Flora of Libya, Boraginaceae Vol. (68) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. Page. 31.

Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses, Sorted by Newest:

Aljarroushi, M.M. & Almedham, K. E. (2016) Geographical distribution and Life form of plants in Sassu Valley, Misurata area, Libya. Al-satil Vol. 10 No. 15 March 2016. (In Arabic) https://search.mandumah.com/Record/813441

Geographical distribution and Life form of plants in Sassu Valley, Misurata area. 2016

El-Zerbi, A. K., Al-Borki, A. S., Al-Aib, M.A. (2016) Study of vegetation in Protected Al-Bedan southeast of Ajdabiya, Libya. Journal of Marine Sciences and Environmental Technologies-No. (2) Volume (2) December 2016. ISSN: 2413-5267(In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdulhamid-Alzerbi, https://journals.asmarya.edu.ly/jmset/index.php/JMSET/article/view/103, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371283472_drast_alghta_alnbaty_bmhmyt_albydan_jnwb_shrq_ajdabya_lybya

دراسة الغطاء النباتي بمحمية البيضان جنوب شرق اجدابيا- ليبيا. 2016

Mohamed, F.J. (2013) A Taxonomic Study of Wadis Flora South of Mizda at the intersections with Mizda-Sebha Highway. Master Thesis. Department of Botany-Faculty of Science-Sebha University. Libya. (In Arabic).

Mukassabi, T.A, Ahmidat, G., Sherif, I.M., ELMogasapi, A. (2012) Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. Biological Diversity and Conservation – 5 / 3 (2012) https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/biodicon/issue/55888/765799

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259357995_Checklist_and_life_forms_of_plant_species_in_contrasting_climatic_zones_of_Libya

Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. 2012

Ahmidat, Gh. (2004) Study of the vegetation cover of the area between the Acacus Mountains and the Tassili Mountains (Ghat). Master Thesis. Department of Botany.College of Science. Sebha University. Libya. (In Arabic).