Blepharis dhofarensis A. G. Mill.

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Dhofari Lizard Thorn

In Omani studies: Miller & Morris (1988) wrote that: "The main importance of this tree in Dhofar was as fodder plant. The prickly fruit heads, called J: asker, contain many large, green seeds called J: bizam which are regarded as the very best fodder for camels, especially milch camels, producing copious quantities of sweet and rich milk. These fruit grow at the very tip of the long slim branches, where they are accessible to the camels who come to these steep-sided valleys to browse after the end of the monsoon. The leaves are also appreciated by the camels - hence the common phrase J: yit tegelif xir b- ayzob which means - 'the she-camel is browsing (literally: stripping the leaves from) Blepharis dhofarensis and Ormocarpum dhofarense'. The root glf, 'to strip leaves', is the base of the word megelif, which is an alternative name given to this and many other ... plants whose large leaves provide fodder for the camel herds during the lush and fruitful post-monsoon season [J: serb]. The fruit are mostly out of reach of the herds of goats, but their herders would collect the heads and extrac the seeds to feed to young or weakly livestock, or to fatten up and improve the milk yield of newly parturient goats. The long, slim branches provided spear shafts in earlier times, and the side twigs were popular as kohl sticks [J: makhal], used to apply the antimony to the upper and lower lid margins of the eye. They were also fashioned into the wedge-shaped pointed hair-dividers [J: mxudd], used by women to divide their hair into sections perior to plaiting it. As firewood, it was appreciated as giving off little smoke - rather like the wood of Ormocarpum dhofarense - but was not much used for this, nor to make charcoal, being far too precious as a source of prime fodder, as well as growing in rather inacessible places, and alternative woods suitable for fuel being available in plenty in less demanding terrain". (Ref. Plants of Dhofar). In addition, Pickering & Patzelt (2008) stated that: "Seeds are good fodder for camels". (Ref. Field Guide to the Wild Plants of Oman; 2008).

*Ghazanfar, S. (2015). Flora of the Sultanate of Oman, vol.3: Loganiaceae – Asteraceae. Meise, National Botanic Garden of Belgium (Scripta Botanica Begica, Vol. 25). ISBN 9789082352511 ISSN 0779-2387. *https://en.wikipedia.org *Pickering, H. Patzelt, A. (2008). Field Guide to the Wild Plants of Oman. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. ISBN 9781842461778. *Patzelt, A. (2015). Oman Plant Red Data Book. Published by Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman. Oman Botanic Garden Publication No. 1. ISBN 978-99969-50-10-0. *Miller, A., Morris, M. (1988). Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic, and Medicinal Uses. Published by Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman; ISBN 10: 0715708082 ISSN 13: 9780715708088. *Patzelt, A. (2015). Oman Plant Red Data Book. Published by Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman. Oman Botanic Garden Publication No. 1. ISBN 978-99969-50-10-0. *POWO (2023). ""Plants of the World Online. Facilitated ... by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org