Home Page > Picture Archives > Flora of Qatar > Zygophyllaceae > Balanites aegyptiaca

Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile

Synonyms

Agialid abyssinica, Agialid aegyptiaca, Agialid arabica, Agialid barteri, Agialid chevalieri, Agialid cuneifolia, Agialid glomerata, Agialid latifolia, Agialid membranacea, Agialid nigra, Agialid palestinaca, Agialid schimperi, Agialid senegalensis, Agialid tombouctensis, Balanites aegyptiacus, Balanites arabica, Balanites fischeri, Balanites latifolia, Balanites suckertii, Canthium zizyphoides, Ximenia aegyptiaca

Common names

Desert date, Egyptian myrobalan, heglig, hidjihi, hijlij, inteishit, lalob, soap berry tree, Thron tree, Zachum oil tree

Extract from Wikipedia article

Balanites aegyptiaca is a species of tree, classified either as a member of the Zygophyllaceae or the Balanitaceae. This tree is native to much of Africa and parts of the Middle East.[+]

AI-generated Description

Balanites aegyptiaca, also known as the Desert Date, is a drought-tolerant tree native to Africa and the Middle East. In Qatar, it has been found to grow in arid environments, such as sand dunes and rocky outcrops. Studies have shown that B. aegyptiaca is one of the most common plant species in Qatar's natural habitats, particularly in the southern and western regions of the country. It is valued for its medicinal properties, food source (dates), and ecological importance in supporting local wildlife.

Desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Desert date tree (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Foliage of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Group of desert date trees (lalob, Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Desert date trees (Balanites aegyptiaca) from other side of a fence on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Smaller tree of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) behind a fence on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Foliage of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) behind a fence on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Green branches of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) behind a fence on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Shoot of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) taken from roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, March 25, 2016

Branches of desert date trees (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 29, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Green branches of desert date trees (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 29, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Desert date trees (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 29, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Blooming desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, May 27, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) with green flowers on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, May 27, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Flowers of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, May 27, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Green flowers of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, May 27, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Branch of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) with green flowers on roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing south-west from Doha. Qatar, May 27, 2016
Salwa Rd, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

AI-generated summary of observations

Multiple observations of Balanites aegyptiaca were made in Qatar, specifically on the roadside of Salwa Highway near Saliyah military housing. The plant was observed to be growing in groups and as individual trees, with foliage and green branches visible behind fences. Over time, the trees were seen to bloom, with green flowers appearing in May. The flowers were observed in clusters and on individual branches, indicating a thriving presence of the desert date tree in the area. The observations took place over several months, from March to May, providing a glimpse into the plant's growth and development during this time period.

Links

• Flora of Qatar.
• Unknown plants or plants without names.
• Duplicate and extra pictures of plants.
• Earlier version of collection of plants.
• Other collections of pictures from Qatar: Lizards of Qatar, Cats of Qatar, Camels of Qatar, and Fish of Qatar.
• Picture archives.
• Home page of A. Sergeev.

Outside links

• Balanites aegyptiaca, Wikipedia article
• Balanites aegyptiaca from www.theplantlist.org
• Ekhlas M. M. Abdel Bary, The Flora of Qatar, Volume I: The Dicotyledons. Doha 2012
• Flora of Qatar, Volume II: The Monocotyledons
• Illustrated Checklist of the Flora of Qatar. John Norton et al. 2009
• Qatar eNature. Flora
• Ali Al-Rawi, Flowering plants of Kuwait, 1985
• Plants of Kuwait
• Flora of Saudi Arabia, Al-Qassim Region
• Flora of Eastern Saudi Arabia by Rain and Dust at Flickr
• Plants of South-Western Morocco
• Pictures from Qatar (Flickr/cpmkutty)
• Arabian plants by Gary Brown
• Flora of Israel

How the web page was created

• A list of plants with their common names was written using online sources and books.
• Web pages were written by a program consisting of several scripts.
• Full names, synonyms, and classification of plants were found online from catalogueoflife.org and theplantlist.org using a script.
• Pictures of plants were selected from a database using a script.
• This web page was written using a script.

Acknowledgements

QNHG (Qatar Natural History Group) and associated people, for a possibility to participate in their field excursions and to learn about local nature.