Maerua crassifolia

Maerua crassifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Capparaceae
Genus:	Maerua
Species:	M. crassifolia
Binomial name
	Maerua crassifolia; Forssk.

Maerua crassifolia is a species of plant in the Capparaceae family. It is native to Africa, tropical Arabia, and Israel, but is disappearing from Egypt. Foliage from this plant is used as fodder for animals, especially camels, during the dry season in parts of Africa. It is used as a common nutrition source in central Africa, where it is called jiga and made into soups and other dishes. Maerua crassifolia was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians. There are a number of historical medicinal uses. The plant has an entry in the 11th century Arabic encyclopedia The Canon of Medicine under the name "meru" and this name became the source for the Latin genus name Maerua.^[1]

External links

References

^ Entry for Maerua crassifolia in Ibn Sina's "The Canon of Medicine" (11th century) at [1]. Entry for Maerua crassifolia in "CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names" (1999) at [2].

Cook, J.A. et al. (1998). Nutrient content of two indigenous plant foods of the estern Sahel: Balanites aegyptiaca and Maerua crassifolia. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 11:3 221-30.

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[1] Entry for Maerua crassifolia in Ibn Sina's "The Canon of Medicine" (11th century) at [1]. Entry for Maerua crassifolia in "CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names" (1999) at [2].

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