Henophyton deserti (Coss. & Durieu) Coss. & Durieu
Oudneya africana R.Br.
Fre.: Oudneya d’Afrique. Ara.: hennet el bel, hennet el djmel, eulga, al alka. Tam.: Timarugt, alleg unmu
Shrub or subshrub, ± deciduous, hermaphrodite, erect, up to 1.5 m in height, with well defined trunk or promptly branched from the base. Bark white or whitish-greyish on old trunk and branches, green on young branchlets. Leaves alternate, linear-oblong, with obtuse tip and slightly attenuated base, usually entire but sometimes briefly dentate at the apex or pinnatilobed, sessile, slightly fleshy, glabrous and green on both sides; solitary but often in axillary fascicles. Inflorescence in ± corymbiform racemes, sparse, with 3-25 flowers, peduncle 4-8 mm long. Calyx tubular, with 4 sepals 5-6.5 mm long, oblong, ± acute, green at first and brown-greenish in full bloom, fused in its entirety except at the apex. Corolla with 4 petals 10-12 mm long, with the lower 3/4 parts included in the calyx and linear-oblong, and its terminal part suborbicular, free; violet-purpurescent. Stamens 6, unequal, 3 central stamens exserted, 3 lateral stamens approximately 2 mm shorter and almost inserted. Fruit an oblong-linear silique (2.5-5.5 × 0.5-0.6 cm) upright, finishing in a small obovate tip. Seeds 3-1, subglobose, slightly compressed, with 1 membranous wing that surrounds the seed in the shape of a disk.
Flowering:
February to May or, in very dry areas, after rainfall.
Fruiting:
Between 1-2 months after flowering.
Habitat:
Sandy-loamy terrains, sometimes somewhat rocky, in plains or depressions, in steppic or attenuated desert environment.
Distribution:
Endemic to the northern Sahara. From the SE steppic eastern Morocco to NW Libya.
Conservation status:
Rare but widely distributed species. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) it has been considered as Critically Endangered (CR). In Algeria it is included in its List of protected non cultivated flora (Executive Decree 12-03 on 4-Jan-2012). In Tunisia it is included in its List of native species that are rare and threatened with extinction (Order of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, 19-July-2006).