Common Name:

General Information

Ononis pubescens is an erect or ascending, much-branched annual plant growing around 75cm tall[].
Ononis pubescens is a traditional Palestinian medicinal plant, harvested from the wild for local use..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Mediterranean region - Portugal to Greece and Turkey, south through Syria and Israel to Egypt; Morocco, Algeria

Habitat

Thickets on stony soils, roadsides, usually on calcareous substrates; at elevations up to 800 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.75 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position, growing best in a well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil[]. Succeeds in shallow chalk soils[].
Plants are resentful of root disturbance and should be moved with care[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A mixture of phytochemicals was found in all of the studied fractions of O. pubescens, which also showed remarkable potential with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities[].
The study provides initial data that justify the use and importance of Ononis species in Palestinian folkloric medicine. The results showed that Ononis pubescens n-hexane fraction has powerful antibacterial bioactivity against Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the acetone, n-hexane and methanol fractions which showed excellent potential against Epidermatophyto flacosum fungi, while the acetone fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity among other fractions. Further investigations are needed to identify and characterize these constituents[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Scarify or pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and sow the seed in early spring in a greenhouse[]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in the autumn. Plants resent root disturbance and so, as soon as they are large enough to handle, they should be pricked out into individual pots and then planted out in late spring[].