Ziziphus leucodermis (Baker) O.Schwartz

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In Omani studies: Miller & Morris (1988) wrote that: "These bushes grow in the drier areas of Dhofar as well as in the truly desert areas. The shrub is most viciously thorned, catching and clinging to the skin and clothing of those trying to gather the fruit. The fruit [J: jerum, DA, J: dom] were formerly of great nutritional importance, especially in the areas outside the range of the monsoon rains, such as the Neged. The larger Ziziphus spina-christi with its bigger fruit does not grow in such dry places and other wild foods too are few in comparison to their abundance in the monsoon areas. The fruit are smaller than those of the other Ziziphus, and ripen to a dark orange (rather than the bright yellow of Z. spina-christi). They are equally sweet and delicious, with a single large pip, which was ground up and eaten with the flesh ... of the fruit. They were diligently gathered in earlier, hungrier years, and stored in dry caves where they lasted well, becoming wrinkled but softer, and the taste sweeter, with the passage of time. When wanted, a handful would be prepared for eating by crushing between two rocks. This coarse meal was either eaten raw or was cooked to a paste in water, milk, or buttermilk. Nowadays, however, they provided little more than an interesting, reminiscent nibble. The leaves were also important medicinally. Crushed and ground to a paste with water or spittle, they were applied to the site of a painful swelling or to a boil to draw the pus and relieve the pain of the inflammation. They were also chewed to a pulp and applied to the site of a snake-bite. To treat cases of mastitis, the soft new growing tips [J: ekos] were ground down and added to water, or, even more effectively, to some milk from the affected person or animal. This mixture was boiled briefly and applied to the site the swelling or to the whole affected udder or breast. For a large infected wound, an extensive area of ulceration or to treat any sore that was proving slow to heal, fresh green leaves were ground and mixed with a powder crushed from a flint-like stone [J: ayel, aybel] and this was put onto the damaged skin to dry it out, disinfect it, and to speed the healing process. (Ref. Plants of Dhofar). In addition, Ghazanfar (2007) mentioned that: "The leaves have been used in traditional medicine to treat swellings, inflammations and snake bites, and the fruits have been an important food source". (Ref. Flora of Oman, vol. 2). In Oman Plant Red Data Book, Patzelt (2015) stated that: "The fruit was of great nutritional importance. The leaves were used medicinally to treat swellings and inflammtion". (Ref. Oman Plant Red Data Book; 2015).

*Ghazanfar, S. (2007). Flora of the Sultanate of Oman, vol.2: Crassulaceae – Apiaceae. Meise, National Botanic Garden of Belgium (Scripta Botanica Begica, Vol. 36). ISBN 9789072619747 ISSN 0779-2387. *https://en.wikipedia.org *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