Nitraria retusa
Encyclopedia
Nitraria retusa is a salt-tolerant shrub
or bush in the Nitrariaceae
family. The plant grows to 2.5m tall, although it is usually less than 1m in height. It has tiny, white to green, fragrant flowers, and small edible red fruit
. The plant is native to desert areas of northern Africa
, where it grows in primary succession
on barren sand dunes.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or bush in the Nitrariaceae
Nitrariaceae
Nitrariaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. It comprises three genera, Nitraria, Peganum and Tetradiclis, totalling 16 species....
family. The plant grows to 2.5m tall, although it is usually less than 1m in height. It has tiny, white to green, fragrant flowers, and small edible red fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. The plant is native to desert areas of northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, where it grows in primary succession
Primary succession
Primary succession is one of two types of biological and ecological succession of plant life, occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited...
on barren sand dunes.