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Useful Temperate Plants

Osyris alba

L.

Santalaceae

+ Synonyms

Osyris mediterranea Bubani

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Osyris alba is a small, slender shrub that can grow up to 120cm tall[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The plant has demonstrated potential use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Range

Mediterranean region - found throughout the Mediterranean, extending to Bulgaria but excluding Egypt.

Habitat

Dry, rocky habitats[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Properties

HabitShrub
Height1.00 m
Self-fertileNo
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Osyris alba is a plant of dry localities found throughout the Mediterranean. It strongly dislikes wet climates and is also not very cold tolerant, able to withstand short-lived temperatures falling to around -5°c[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

A parasitic plant[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Sometimes grown as an ornamental, valued for the summer flowers and bright-red, pea-sized fruits that follow[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Extracts of the plant have been shown to be useful in the control of postprandial blood glucose, their effects being achieved mainly through inhibition of carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes (amylases and glucosidases). Due to the mechanism involved in controlling blood glucose, such plant extracts are expected to be also helpful in the management of obesity[
1277
Title
Screening of Jordanian Flora for alpha-Amylase Inhibitory Activity
Publication
Pharmaceutical Biology, 46:10-11, 746-750, 2008
Author
Imad I. Hamdan & Fatma U. Afifi
Website
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13880200802316053
Publisher
 
Year
2008
ISBN
 
Description
 
]

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Softwood cuttings in a frame[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Osyris+alba>

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