Arfaj

Conservation status:

Native

Description:

Growth form: Small shrub. Flowering. Mar–Jul. Status: Native. Local. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Being a favoured grazing species is rarely seen in quantity. Frequent in the western part of Ras Laffan Industrial City (John Norton 2004) where protected from grazing; very scattered in western Qatar in 2007. Batanouny and El Amin recorded mainly from S Qatar, where may still be locally abundant. Usually on thin, sandy or loamy deposits; often in rocky areas. Uses: Widely documented as an important grazing plant. Several authors also mention its use for firewood. Used in the treatment of digestive disorders and for its antimicrobial properties (Rizk & El-Ghazaly).