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Tribulus terrestris
  • Caltrop

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

248px
Niche
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    The ecosystem niches for this plant are unknown. Do you know them? Click the edit button to add them!
Functions
  • None
    None
    There are no functions defined for this plant. Do you know of some? Click the edit button to add them!
Light
  • Full sun
    Full sun
    The amount of sun exposure that a plant prefers in ideal conditions.
    Key
  • no shade
    No shade
    The amount of shade a plant will tolerate without adverse health affects.
    Key
Water
  • Water Requirementsmoderate
    Moderate
    The amount of water a plant needs for healthy growth, relative to other plants.
    Key
Soil
  • acid,neutral,alkaline
    Acid to Alkaline
    The PH range (acidity or alkilinity) of the growth medium ideal for healthy nutrient absorbtion.
    Key
  • Sandy to Clay
    The soil texture this plant prefers for optimal growth.
    Key
Cold & Heat
  • ?
    Unknown
    The USDA Hardiness scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the minimum temperature a plant can survive.
    Key
    0< -53.9ºC< -65ºF
    1-51.1ºC-60ºF
    2-45.6ºC-50F
    3-40ºC-40ºF
    4-34.4ºC-30ºF
    5-28.9ºC-20ºF
    6-23.3ºC-10ºF
    7-17.8ºC0ºF
    8-12.2C10ºF
    9-6.7ºC20ºF
    10-1.1ºC30ºF
    114.4ºC40ºF
    12> 10ºC> 5ºF
  • ?
    Unknown
    The AHS Heat scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the number of days per year a plant requires a temperature exceeding 30ºC (86ºF).
    Key
    11
    21 - 7
    38 - 14
    415 - 30
    531 - 45
    646 - 60
    761 - 90
    891 - 120
    9121 - 150
    10151 - 180
    11181 - 210
    12181 - 210
Tribulus terrestris has 0 edible uses listed
Tribulus terrestris has 0 medicinal uses listed

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Leaves and young shoots - cooked[1][2]. A nutritional analysis is available[3]. Fruit - cooked. The unexpanded seed capsules are ground into a powder and made into a bread[4][1][2][5]. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[4].

Fruit

Unknown use

Leaves

Unknown use

Material uses

There are no material uses listed for Tribulus terrestris.

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

The seed is abortifacient, alterative, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, pectoral and tonic[6][7][8][9][3]. It stimulates blood circulation[7]. A decoction is used in treating impotency in males, nocturnal emissions, gonorrhoea and incontinence of urine[6][10]. It has also proved effective in treating painful urination, gout and kidney diseases[10].

The plant has shown anticancer activity[3]. The flowers are used in the treatment of leprosy[3]. The stems are used in the treatment of scabious skin diseases and psoriasis[3].

The dried and concocted fruits are used in the treatment of congestion, gas, headache, liver, ophthalmia and stomatitis[3].

Unknown part

Abortifacient
Alterative
Anthelmintic
Aphrodisiac
Carminative
Demulcent
Diuretic
Galactogogue
Infertility
Pectoral

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Nothing listed.

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

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.

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Tribulus terrestris. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.



Cultivation

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[11] whilst another report says that it is only hardy in zone 10 which means that it is not frost tolerant[12]. 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[11].

A good bee plant[13].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Tribulus terrestris. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Tribulus terrestris.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

Taxonomy
Binomial name
Tribulus terrestris
Genus
Tribulus
Family
Zygophyllaceae
Imported References
Edible uses
[1][2][3][4][5]
Medicinal uses
[6][7][8][9][3][10]
Material uses & Functions
Botanic
[11][12]
Propagation
Cultivation
Environment
Cultivation
Uses
Edible uses
None listed.
Material uses
None listed.
Medicinal uses
None listed.
Functions & Nature
Functions
Provides forage for
Provides shelter for
Environment
Hardiness Zone
?
Heat Zone
?
Water
moderate
Sun
full sun
Shade
no shade
Soil PH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Soil Texture
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil Water Retention
well drained
Environmental Tolerances
  • Strong wind
  • Maritime exposure
Ecosystems
Native Climate Zones
None listed.
Adapted Climate Zones
None listed.
Native Geographical Range
None listed.
Native Environment
None listed.
Ecosystem Niche
None listed.
Root Zone Tendancy
None listed.
Life
Deciduous or Evergreen
?
Herbaceous or Woody
?
Life Cycle
annual, biennial
Growth Rate
vigorous
Mature Size
0.6 x meters
Fertility
?
Pollinators
?
Flower Colour
?
Flower Type
hermaphrodite

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References

  1. ? 1.01.11.2 Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana ISBN 0-00-634436-4 (1976-00-00)
  2. ? 2.02.12.2 Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)
  3. ? 3.03.13.23.33.43.53.63.7 Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-917256-20-4 (1985-00-00)
  4. ? 4.04.14.2 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)
  5. ? 5.05.1 Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre (1977-00-00)
  6. ? 6.06.16.2 Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 (1984-00-00)
  7. ? 7.07.17.2 ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X ()
  8. ? 8.08.1 Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles (1985-00-00)
  9. ? 9.09.1 Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre ()
  10. ? 10.010.110.2 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)
  11. ? 11.011.111.2 ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press (1964-00-00)
  12. ? 12.012.1 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)
  13. ? Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Useful Wild Plants in Australia. William Collins Pty Ltd. Sidney ISBN 0-00-216441-8 (1981-00-00)

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Retrieved from "https://practicalplants.org/w/index.php?title=Tribulus_terrestris&oldid=81338"
Facts about "Tribulus terrestris"RDF feed
Article is incompleteYes +
Article requires citationsNo +
Article requires cleanupYes +
Belongs to familyZygophyllaceae +
Belongs to genusTribulus +
Has common nameCaltrop +
Has drought toleranceIntolerant +
Has edible partFruit + and Leaves +
Has edible useUnknown use +
Has environmental toleranceMaritime exposure + and High wind +
Has flowers of typeHermaphrodite +
Has growth rateVigorous +
Has imagePuncture Vine (Tribulus terrestris) flowers in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7933.jpg +
Has lifecycle typeAnnual + and Biennial +
Has mature height0.6 +
Has medicinal partUnknown part +
Has medicinal useAbortifacient +, Alterative +, Anthelmintic +, Aphrodisiac +, Carminative +, Demulcent +, Diuretic +, Galactogogue +, Infertility + and Pectoral +
Has primary imagePuncture Vine (Tribulus terrestris) flowers in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7933.jpg +
Has search nametribulus terrestris + and x +
Has shade toleranceNo shade +
Has soil ph preferenceAcid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
Has soil teclayture preferenceClay +
Has soil teloamyture preferenceLoamy +
Has soil tesandyture preferenceSandy +
Has soil water retention preferenceWell drained +
Has sun preferenceFull sun +
Has taxonomy nameTribulus terrestris +
Has water requirementsmoderate +
Is taxonomy typeSpecies +
Tolerates maritime exposureYes +
Tolerates nutritionally poor soilNo +
Tolerates windYes +
Uses mature size measurement unitMeters +