Practical
Plants

Tribulus terrestris

Caltrop

an annual or biennial member of the Tribulus genus in the family Zygophyllaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, biennial
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.6 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves and young shoots - cooked[1][5]. A nutritional analysis is available[10]. Fruit - cooked. The unexpanded seed capsules are ground into a powder and made into a bread[8][1][5][7]. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[8].

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed is abortifacient, alterative, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, pectoral and tonic[12][2][4][6][10]. It stimulates blood circulation[2]. A decoction is used in treating impotency in males, nocturnal emissions, gonorrhoea and incontinence of urine[12][11]. It has also proved effective in treating painful urination, gout and kidney diseases[11]. The plant has shown anticancer activity[10]. The flowers are used in the treatment of leprosy[10]. The stems are used in the treatment of scabious skin diseases and psoriasis[10]. The dried and concocted fruits are used in the treatment of congestion, gas, headache, liver, ophthalmia and stomatitis[10].

Product or use
Abortifacient
Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Anthelmintic
Product or use
Aphrodisiac
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Galactogogue
Product or use
Infertility
Product or use
Pectoral

Environment

Range
Europe - N. France and eastwards to E. Asia.
Habitat
Dry open habitats, often as a weed in Europe[13]. Sandy seashores in Japan[14].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frost.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and are not sure how successful it will be in Britain. There are conflicting reports on its hardiness - according to one report it is native to N. France which should make it hardy in Britain[13] whilst another report says that it is only hardy in zone 10 which means that it is not frost tolerant[9]. We would suggest treating it as a frost tender annual and then experimenting with its hardiness. It is likely to require a well-drained dry to moist soil and is also likely to be tolerant of maritime exposure. The plant is very fast growing from seed[13]. A good bee plant[3].

References

  1. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩1↩2

  2. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩1↩2

  3. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Useful Wild Plants in Australia. William Collins Pty Ltd. Sidney 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-00-216441-8

    ↩

  4. Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985-00-00

    ↩

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  6. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩

  7. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  10. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  11. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

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