Common Name:

General Information

Orbea decaisneana is a small perennial herb with succulent stems up to 20cm tall. The plant forms diffuse mats up to about 50cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It is sold on the internet to succulent collectors[].

Known Hazards

The plant sap is considered very toxic, and milk is taken as an antidote to poisoning[].
The dried powdered stems are thrown into water as a fish poison; it is considered slow-acting[].
In Niger the stems are macerated in water and the extract used as bait for guinea fowl[].
In Algeria nomads put the plant sap or pulped plants on bait to poison jackal[].
It is sometimes used as criminal poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan.

Habitat

Desert margins in dry grasslands, among stones on slopes on granite and on limestone outcrops, at elevations from sea-level up to 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

An extract of the aerial parts enters in a treatment for mental problems and epilepsy[].

The plant sap is applied to teeth with caries[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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