Traditional Use of A'kub ( tournefortii, ), in Israel and the Palestinian Authority Area Author(s): Simcha Lev-Yadun and Shahal Abbo Source: Economic Botany, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1999), pp. 217-219 Published by: Springer on behalf of New York Botanical Garden Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4256182 Accessed: 29/03/2009 11:37

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http://www.jstor.org NOTES ON ECONOMIC

Traditional use of A'kub (Gundelia tour- populationsare near flowering.During late win- nefortii, Asteraceae), in Israel and the Pales- ter to early spring, after the rosette is estab- tinian Authority area.-Gundelia tournefortii lished, the plants develop a centralstem bearing L., a perennialspiny herb of Irano-Turanianor- about a dozen inflorescence branches. In large igin, (AXkubor Ka'ub-), may also be specimens, the total height, including this found in segetal and post segetal open plant for- branchedinflorescence, may reach 50 cm. Each mations of the Mediterraneanregions of Israel of the inflorescencebranches ends with a com- and surroundingcountries (1), (2), (3) and (4). pound spiny ovoid head 4-8 cm in diameter(5, Xkub plants develop a rosette following the au- 9). Upon maturation,the above-groundparts of tumn (October-November)rains and bolt during the plant dry, and later in the season (late-spring February-April.The young heads, while still at to early summer) they become detached from groundlevel are consumed as a fresh or cooked the root, and disperse their fruits as they are artichoke-like vegetable by several ethnic rolled by the wind over large distances (a tum- groups in the Palestinian Authority, Israel and bleweed) (10). We visited a large number of surrounding countries (Muslims, Christians, Xkub populations before, during and after the Druse and Spharadi Jews). The decline of G. clipping season. In a numberof locations, fully tournefortiipopulations caused by an increased matureplants ready to disperse their fruit (and demand due to human population growth, and few alreadyrolling in the wind) were observed by modem transportation(as aid for gatherers) side by side with relatively green plants bearing threatens this wild plant (5). As a result, the immature fruit. No habitat variation could ac- picking of this plant in Israel is now restricted count for the wide phenological range observed by law to domestic use only (5). at any one location. We suppose that a short but The use of this plant is probablyquite ancient intensive clipping pressure,operating for millen- (more than 2000 years old) (6) and (7). Despite nia during the mid-spring,may have served as the fact that this old traditionstill prevails in the a selection agent favoring both very early-bolt- Middle-East,the only mention, we are awareof, ing and very late-boltinggenotypes. Under such regardingthe use of Xkub as humanfood in the a clipping regime, genotypes with extreme phe- economic botany literatureis a four lines article nology are more likely to disperse their fruits. in Sturtevant's Notes on Edible Plants (8). The young inflorescence heads are removed Therefore,we herebyprovide a shortdescription before bolting by insertinga knife, and clipping of the way in which Xkub is currentlyutilized the stem base a bit below ground level. The in Israel and the PalestinianAuthority area. fresh heads, and occasionally also the bases of As hemicryptophytes,G. tournefortiiplants the rosette leaves (13), are trimmed to remove have a thick perennialrootstock from which new the (still short and soft) head thorns(Fig. 1) and growth arises each season. Following the au- are marketedon the very same day. No refrig- tumn rains and during the winter to late spring, erateddelivery is known to us. Due to intensive accordingto the rainfall and temperatureprofile clipping aroundArab villages and a decline of of the season, the plants develop a new rosette. G. tournefortiipopulations, groups of gatherers The lobed leaves are characterized by their drive distances of more than 100 km to find lo- spines and have either a red, yellow or purple cations where this wild plant is still abundant. central vein. The leaves are usually smooth, but Commercialpicking takes place duringthe early we have found several tomentosepopulations in morning, to ensure arrival at the local village several locations across Israel and the Palesti- market during the afternoon. Our observations nian Authority area. The rosette diameter may indicate that, in Israel and the Palestinian Au- reach 50-60 cm. On Mt. Hermon, at elevations thority, AXkubcollection is done mainly by of ca. 2000 m above sea level, in sectors covered groups of women from Arab villages. Occasion- by snow duringthe winter,G. tournefortiiplants ally we have met elderly Druse (men) collecting begin their rosette developmentwhen the Negev Xkub alone in the Golan.

Economic Botany 53(2) pp. 217-223. 1999 C 1999 by The New York Botanical GardenPress, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U.S.A. 218 ECONOMICBOTANY [VOL. 53

Fig. 1. Gundeliatournefortii heads, fresh above, simmeringin sauce, below.

Accordingto Kaplanet al. (5), a group of five number of heads. After cleaning and trimming to nine collectors may gather 4000-12 000 the inedible parts (mainly spines and stem ba- heads. Kaplanet al. (S) did not mentionthe time ses), 1.1 kg of the collected 84 heads remained requiredto collect this number of heads, there- ready for cooking. In the Wadi-Nisnasmarket in fore we attempted to evaluate their figures. A Haifa, and in Arab villages of northernIsrael, team of three inexperiencedcollectors gathered the price of AXkubheads may amountto U.S. $ 84 heads (2.5 Kg) in 3.5 hours in an area where 4.00 per kg. According to local sources, the previous groups had removed a considerable price of A`kubheads in the Hebron district (Pa- 1999] 219 lestinian Authority)is less than U.S. $ 1.50 per wild. However, due to the perennial habit of kg. With such prices and with a short clipping Xkub no quick results could be expected from season A'kub does not have a significantrole in such an initiative. the economy of the Arab villagers in Israel and the PalestinianAuthority, but ratherserves as a traditionalsupplement to the diet and may con- Acknowledgments.The authors thank Dr. L. tribute some cash seasonally. A. Morrisonand Mrs. SusanLev-Yadun for their In desert parts of Israel mature A'kub plants useful comments on the manuscript,an anony- are sometimes used as fodder for camels (11), mous reviewer for data on A'kub marketingin and in CentralAnatolia, plants are also collected Jordanand Syria and Prof. L Kaplan for bring- and dried for winter fodder (12). In IranianKur- ing referenceNo. 8 to our knowledge. distan, G. tournefortii straw was reported to have been used in preparingdung cakes (11). LiteratureCited. (1) Anonymous. 1998. Information Xkub achenes contain edible seeds (12). During provided by one of the referees. (2) Post, G. E., the late sixties, following the 1967 war, some and J. E. Dinsmore. 1933. Flora of Syria, Palestine export of fresh A'kub heads from Israel to the and Sinai. Vol. 2. AmericanPress, Beirut. (3) Zo- Gulf emirates developed (13). In JordanA'kub hary, M. 1962. Plant life of Palestine, Israel and is sold along highways in the northernpart of Jordan.The RonaldPress Company,New York.(4) the country as well as in certain stores in Am- Zohary,M. 1973. Geobotanicalfoundations of the man (1). In Syria A'kubis a seasonal commodity Middle East. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart.(5) in the HamadiaSook of Damascus (1) and most Kaplan, D., D. Pevzner,M. Galilee, and M. Gut- probablyin other majorcities and along country man. 1995. Traditionalselective harvestingeffects roads as well. The time-consuming collection, on occurrenceand reproductivegrowth of Gundelia tournefortiiin Israel grasslands.Israel Journalof the relatively short season (at any one location) PlantScience 43: 163-166. (6) BabylonianTalmud. and the need for fast delivery to target markets Beitza 34a (Hebrew,Aramaic). (7) Feliks, J. 1968. all dictate a short commerce season. The most Plantworld of the Bible. Massada,Ramat Gan (He- popular (in northernIsrael) A'kub dish is pre- brew). (8) Hedrick, U. P. (ed.) 1919. Sturtevant's pared as follows: the clean heads are covered notes on edible plants. State of New York-De- with mincemeat, fried briefly in oil, and then, partmentof Agriculture,27th annualreport; Vol. 2, later on simmeredin a lemon juice based sauce part II, pp. 296. J. B. Lyon Company,Albany. (9) (Fig. 2). Additional traditionalcooking recipes Classen-Bockhoff,R., H. A. Froebe, and D. Lan- have recently been published in Israel (13, 15). gerbeins. 1989. The inflorescenceof Gundeliatour- A recent modern use of dry A'kub plants in Is- nefortii L. (Asteraceae).Flora 182: 463-479. (10) Ridley, H. N. rael is as an ornamentalplant, and as such the 1930. The dispersal of plants throughoutthe world. L. Reeve & Co. Ltd., Ash- dry plants are sometime dyed in differentcolors. ford. (11) Bailey, C., and A. Danin. 1981. Bedouin The economic value of A'kub might increase plant utilizationin Sinai and the Negev. Economic should spineless types be available for planting. Botany 35: 145-162. (12) Feinbrun-Dothan,N. A considerablevariation in the spine size exists 1978. Flora Palaestina.Vol. III. The Israel Acade- in populationsgrowing across Israel and the Pa- my of Sciences and Humanities,Jerusalem. (13) lestinian Authority,however, at present, no data Abu-Ruken,S. 1977. Wild plantscollected in Israel is available regardingits environmentaland ge- and shippedto the Gulf Emirates.Teva Vaaretz19: netic components.We have initiated a selection 253-255 (Hebrew).(14) Danin,A., and U. Plitman. and breedingprogram aimed at identifying such 1967. Men and vegetationin Iran.Teva Vaaretz10: types. We assume that commercialcultivation of 49-50 (Hebrew). (15) Krispil, N. 1987. A bag of plants. Yaa'ra,Jerusalem (Hebrew). spineless A'kub could provide a source of in- come to many small farmersin a ratherlow in- -Simcha Lev-Yadun, Department of Natural vestment. Such initiative might contributeto the Resources, Agricultural Research Organization, well being of many householdsin Israel, the Pa- The Volcani Center, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan lestinian Authority,and probablyin Jordanand 50250, Israel; Shahal Abbo, Department of Syria as well. In additionto its economic poten- Field Crops, Vegetables and Genetics, Faculty tial, A'kub cultivation may assist in conserving of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Qual- this ancient traditionas well as contributeto na- ity Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusa- ture protectionby minimizing clipping from the lem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.