Rumex vesicarius L. Rumex vesicarius L. Polygonaceae Rumex roseus Desf. Rumex: from the Latin rumex, plant with spear-like leaves; vesicarius: bladder-like Arabic: houmeidh, hanbeit Berber: brissemou, tasemumt Targui: ténasmimt English: sorrel, bladder-dock French: oseille sauvage, oseille vésiculeuse
Compiled by Dr. Salima Benhouhou The best way to conserve this annual is to collect the seeds and sow them in nurseries. So far no data Morphological description has been reported regarding its propagation and An annual herb, with ramified stems and branching conservation. from the base, on average 40-50 cm. but reaching 80 cm. The plant is entirely glabrous and presents Part used at the nodes a membranous sheet. The leaves are The whole plant, particularly the leaves; the seeds. big, slightly fleshy and lanceolate/spear-shaped, These are collected in the spring and prepared fresh alternate, with a long petiole. or as a powder for internal use. The flowers are grouped in dense, elongated inflo- rescences; the perianth has 6 membranous tepals. Constituents The flowers are grouped in twos and borne on a Flavonoids, C-glycosides: vitexin, isovitexin, orientin tiny red peduncle. When the fruit is ripe, the peri- and iso-orientin and anthraquinones: emdin and anth becomes winged and purplish-red veined. chrysophanol, rumicine, lapathine, oxalic acid, It flowers in spring, from March to April, in the tannins, mucilage, mineral salts and vitamin C. northern Algerian Sahara, and any time after rain in the central Algerian Sahara. Pharmacological action and toxicity Geographical distribution Research has yet to be done to clarify the plant’s phar- Local: Very common in the Algerian Sahara. macological action. A search on its toxicity appears to Regional: North Africa. be negative. When eaten in excess by animals, it Global:It is common throughout the Sahara. causes minor digestive troubles due to the oxalic acid that can lock up other nutrients in the food, especially Ecology calcium, thus causing mineral deficiencies. The plant lives in desert conditions with an average 100 mm. rainfall a year and favours sandy-loamy Pharmacopeias soils. It usually occurs on non-saline wadi beds, on Not relevant for this species. gravelly-sandy soils. It is also found in djebels and grows on sandy patches between rocks benefiting Pharmaceutical products from water runoff. Not relevant for this species