Weed Identification

Australia > > Camel Thorn

Camel Thorn

Alhagi maurorum

Family: Fabaceae.

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native from western Europe to central Asia.

Flowers/Seedhead: In a 1–8 flowered raceme. Flowers 0.6–1.2 cm long, sepals of each flower joined to form a calyx about 3 mm long with small teeth. Flowers spring and summer.

Description: Perennial shrub to 1 (rarely to 1.5) m high.Young branches hairy, older branches hairless, small branches off main branches (branchlets) with yellow-tipped spines. Leaves few, elliptic to obovate, dark green, 0.5–3 cm long, 0.2–1.4 cm wide, glandular above, shortly and softly hairy below. Seedpod 0.8–3 cm long, to 3.5 mm wide, yellow to red-brown. Seeds 1–8 per pod, kidney-shaped, smooth, about 3 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by rigid spiny branchlets 1–4 cm long; leaves simple; flowers pea-like, purplish-red and yellow, stamens 10, in 2 bundles of 5; pod constricted between seeds.

Dispersal: Spread by lateral root growth and pieces, seldom by seed.


Rigid branches with sharp spines and
reddish pods, Broken Hill, NSW, April
photo J. J. Dellow

Notes: Seeds appear to need scarification, for example by passing through a ruminant, before germination. Aerial parts die in autumn and new shoots emerge from roots in spring. Commonly found along drainage lines and in irrigated pasture. Probably introduced to Australia in the early 1900s. Grazed sparingly by stock. Does well under irrigation.

References:

    Noxious Weeds of Australia.W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 464–466. Flora of Victoria. N.Walsh and T. Entwisle (eds), Vol. 3, 1996, pages 697–698.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

Pods with constriction between seeds
and yellow-tipped spines

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card S22

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

 

Australia > > Camel Thorn

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