Common Name: Caltrop

General Information

Tribulus terrestris is a hairy, prostrate, annual plant with trailing branches that radiate along the ground up to 90cm from the taproot[].
The plant is gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

A cosmopolitan plant, found as a native through most of Africa and Eurasia, naturalized in much of the Americas.

Habitat

Dry open habitats, often as a weed in Europe[]. Sandy seashores in Japan[]. Sandy areas, wastelands, hillsides, residential areas at elevations below 3,300 metres in China[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.20 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Tribulus terrestris has a very wide range, from the temperate zone of Eurasia through tropicl regions to southern Africa.
The plant grows best in dry, loose, sandy soils and it prospers near sand dunes or loose blown soil by field margins[]. However, it also grows in heavier soils, especially if they are fertile and moist[]. The plant can grow on compacted soils such as those found along the sides of unsurfaced roads or in playgrounds[]. Tolerant of maritime exposure.
A problematic weed of farmland[]. The fruit is dispersed by adhering to the feet of animals and humans or vehicle and bicycle tyres. It also sticks to sheep wool and is often found in hay, straw and manure[].
The plant is very fast growing from seed[].
A good bee plant[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - cooked[, ]. A nutritional analysis is available[].

Fruit - cooked. The unexpanded seed capsules are ground into a powder and made into a bread[, , , ]. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[].

Medicinal

The seed is abortifacient, alterative, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactagogue, pectoral and tonic[, , , , ]. It stimulates blood circulation[]. A decoction is used in treating impotency in males, nocturnal emissions, gonorrhoea and incontinence of urine[, ]. It has also proved effective in treating painful urination, gout and kidney diseases[].
The dried and concocted fruits are used in the treatment of congestion, gas, headache, liver, ophthalmia and stomatitis[].

The plant has shown anticancer activity[].

The flowers are used in the treatment of leprosy[].

The stems are used in the treatment of scabious skin diseases and psoriasis[].

Other Uses

None known

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.