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Maerua crassifolia is a desert shrub or small tree from the caper family, native from the Sahara to Arabia and Pakistan. It is a dryland plant that needs full sun and very little water, and it is grown mainly for fodder and food rather than ornament.
Maerua crassifolia is a species of plant in the Capparaceae family. It is native to Africa, tropical Arabia, and Israel, but is disappearing from Egypt. Foliage from this plant is used as fodder for animals, especially camels, during the dry season in parts of Africa.
The plant grows commonly in Yemen, where it is called Meru. In the 18th century the plant's Arabic name Meru (مرو) was used as the source for the genus name Maerua. The 18th-century taxonomist was Peter Forsskål, who visited Yemen in the 1760s.
Maerua crassifolia has been found growing along the Tsauchab river in Namibia at the following geo coordinates: 24°38'42.6"S 15°39'06.9"E.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Maerua crassifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
