Retama sphaerocarpa
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fdefe10866867737174 |
| Scientific name | Retama sphaerocarpa |
| Authority | (L.) Boiss. |
| First published in | Voy. Bot. Espagne2: 144 (1840) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Traditional preparations of *Retama sphaerocarpa* have been documented in several Mediterranean cultures. In southern Spain, infusions (teas) and decoctions of the dried flowering stems, leaves, or young shoots were traditionally taken as a treatment for fevers and to alleviate urinary tract discomfort (Font Quer, 1962). Among Berber communities in Algeria and Morocco, macerations of the dried aerial parts (stems and leaves) in water were used externally as an anti-inflammatory wash for skin conditions and internally as a bitter tonic for digestive complaints (Le Floc'h, 1997; Bammou et al., 2015). Jordanian folk medicine in the Dead Sea region reports decoctions of the stems administered as a remedy for colic and to reduce swelling (Alali et al., 2004). The roots have also been utilized historically in the Iberian Peninsula, where decoctions served as a purgative according to ancient herbal texts (Culpeper, 1653).
A practical preparation method is a decoction of the dried stems and leaves. Simmer approximately 15 grams of finely cut dried aerial parts in 500 ml of water for 15-20 minutes. Strain and consume up to three small cups (120 ml each) per day. Traditional texts also describe using a stronger decoction (1:10 plant material to water) for external washes for inflamed skin. A tincture can be prepared at a 1:5 ratio (dry plant material to 60% ethanol) macerated for 2-3 weeks. Dosage recommendations vary considerably and caution is advised due to potential toxicity from quinolizidine alkaloids; it should not be used during pregnancy or by nursing mothers.
Active constituents reported in the plant include quinolizidine alkaloids (such as retamine and lupanine), flavonoids (especially rutin and quercetin), and phenolic acids. These compounds are consistent with documented traditional uses for their anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and diuretic properties reported in the cited ethnobotanical sources.
Modern relevance includes ongoing pharmacological studies investigating its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities (Bammou et al., 2015), while it remains available in limited traditional markets in Morocco and Spain.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!**Wood and fiber:**
The stems yield a bast fiber utilized historically for rough cordage, nets, and woven textiles, valued for its mechanical properties derived from a high lignin-to-cellulose ratio conferring durability under mechanical stress. The woody stems also function as fuelwood due to high calorific content.
**Colorants and tanning:**
The plant contains tannins capable of producing natural brown dyes for protein fibers like wool. Studies indicate successful dyeing protocols leveraging flavonoid and tannin extractives for color fixation on textiles without metal mordants.
**Industrial and craft applications:**
While limited commercial scaling exists, research explores the potential of bast fibers as reinforcement in biocomposites, leveraging their cellulose microfibrillar structure for enhanced material strength in eco-friendly polymer matrices.
**Sustainability and sourcing:**
As a nitrogen-fixing pioneer species native to Mediterranean arid zones, cultivation requires minimal irrigation or fertilizer inputs. Harvesting of stems and seed pods can be sustainable when conducted on established, non-degraded lands without causing soil disturbance.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Retama lutea | Raf. | Sylva Tellur.: 22 (1838) |
| Retama atlantica | Pomel | Nouv. Mat. Fl. Atl.1: 172 (1874) |
| Boelia sphaerocarpa | (L.) Webb | Otia Hispan., new ed.: 20 (1853) |
| Genista sphaerocarpa | (L.) Lam. | Encycl.2: 616 (1788) |
| Spartium sphaerocarpum | L. | Mant. Pl.2: 571 (1771) |
| Lygos sphaerocarpa | (L.) Heywood | Feddes Repert.79: 53 (1968) |
| Retama sphaerocarpa f. atlantica | (Pomel) Batt. | J.A.Battandier & L.C.Trabut, Fl. Algérie, Dicot.: 202 (1889) |
| Retama sphaerocarpa var. atlantica | (Pomel) Maire | É.Jahandiez & al., Cat. Pl. Maroc2: 357 (1932) |
| Boelia sphaerocarpa var. mesogaea | Webb | Otia Hispan., new ed.: 21 (1853) |
| Retama sphaerocarpa var. mesogaea | (Webb) Willk. | M.Willkomm & J.M.C.Lange, Prodr. Fl. Hispan.3: 419 (1877) |
| Lygos sphaerocarpa | (L.) Heywood | |
| Spartium grandiflorum | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton : 329 (1796) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| Arabic | ريتاما سفيروكاربا |
| Catalan | ginesta vimenera |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Tunisia
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West Tropical Africa
- Mauritania
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Northern Africa
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Europe click to expand
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Southwestern Europe
- Portugal
- Spain
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Southwestern Europe
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000213402 |
| Tropicos | 13054387 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:517091-1 |
| The Plant List | ild-8469 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 33320 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 49838 |
| IPNI | 517091-1 |
| iNaturalist | 82731 |
| GBIF | 2965093 |
| EPPO | LGOSP |
| EOL | 703628 |
| USDA GRIN | 311154 |
| Wikipedia | Retama_sphaerocarpa |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_056904635.1 | ASM5690463v1 | Scaffold | Iridian Genomes | 2026-04-27 | 60 | 508.75 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Overview of Ethnobotanical–Pharmacological Studies Carried Out on Medicinal Plants from the Serra da Estrela Natural Park: Focus on Their Antidiabetic Potential | Lahlou RA, Carvalho F, Pereira MJ, Lopes J, Silva LR | Pharmaceutics | 25-Mar-2024 |
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| The Contribution of Botanical Origin to the Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Algerian Honeys | Harbane S, Escuredo O, Saker Y, Ghorab A, Nakib R, Rodríguez-Flores MS, Ouelhadj A, Seijo MC | Foods | 14-Feb-2024 |
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| Aerospace-foraging bats eat seasonably across varying habitats | Aihartza J, Vallejo N, Aldasoro M, García-Mudarra JL, Goiti U, Nogueras J, Ibáñez C | Sci Rep | 10-Nov-2023 |
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| The role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in plant drought stress responses | Chieb M, Gachomo EW | BMC Plant Biol | 25-Aug-2023 |
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| Contextualizing the ecology of plant–plant interactions and constructive networks | Losapio G | AoB Plants | 01-Jul-2023 |
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| Fungal Planet description sheets: 1478–1549 | Crous PW, Osieck ER, Shivas RG, Tan YP, Bishop-Hurley SL, Esteve-Raventós F, Larsson E, Luangsa-ard JJ, Pancorbo F, Balashov S, Baseia IG, Boekhout T, Chandranayaka S, Cowan DA, Cruz RH, Czachura P, De la Peña-Lastra S, Dovana F, Drury B, Fell J, Flakus A, Fotedar R, Jurjević Ž, Kolecka A, Mack J, Maggs-Kölling G, Mahadevakumar S, Mateos A, Mongkolsamrit S, Noisripoom W, Plaza M, Overy DP, Piątek M, Sandoval-Denis M, Vauras J, Wingfield MJ, Abell SE, Ahmadpour A, Akulov A, Alavi F, Alavi Z, Altés A, Alvarado P, Anand G, Ashtekar N, Assyov B, Banc-Prandi G, Barbosa KD, Barreto GG, Bellanger JM, Bezerra JL, Bhat DJ, Bilański P, Bose T, Bozok F, Chaves J, Costa-Rezende DH, Danteswari C, Darmostuk V, Delgado G, Denman S, Eichmeier A, Etayo J, Eyssartier G, Faulwetter S, Ganga KG, Ghosta Y, Goh J, Góis JS, Gramaje D, Granit L, Groenewald M, Gulden G, Gusmão LF, Hammerbacher A, Heidarian Z, Hywel-Jones N, Jankowiak R, Kaliyaperumal M, Kaygusuz O, Kezo K, Khonsanit A, Kumar S, Kuo CH, Læssøe T, Latha KP, Loizides M, Luo SM, Maciá-Vicente JG, Manimohan P, Marbach PA, Marinho P, Marney TS, Marques G, Martín MP, Miller AN, Mondello F, Moreno G, Mufeeda KT, Mun HY, Nau T, Nkomo T, Okrasińska A, Oliveira JP, Oliveira RL, Ortiz DA, Pawłowska J, Pérez-De-Gregorio MÀ, Podile AR, Portugal A, Privitera N, Rajeshkumar KC, Rauf I, Rian B, Rigueiro-Rodríguez A, Rivas-Torres GF, Rodriguez-Flakus P, Romero-Gordillo M, Saar I, Saba M, Santos CD, Sarma PV, Siquier JL, Sleiman S, Spetik M, Sridhar KR, Stryjak-Bogacka M, Szczepańska K, Taşkın H, Tennakoon DS, Thanakitpipattana D, Trovão J, Türkekul İ, van Iperen AL, van ’t Hof P, Vasquez G, Visagie CM, Wingfield BD, Wong PT, Yang WX, Yarar M, Yarden O, Yilmaz N, Zhang N, Zhu YN, Groenewald JZ | Persoonia | 29-Jun-2023 |
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| Ants are more than just curious bystanders to some flowers—they act as significant pollinators | Das S, Das A | Front Insect Sci | 15-Jun-2023 |
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| Ultrasonic-assisted extraction for phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of Moroccan Retama sphaerocarpa L. leaves: Simultaneous optimization by response surface methodology and characterization by HPLC/ESI-MS analysis | El Baakili A, Fadil M, Es-Safi NE | Heliyon | 10-Jun-2023 |
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| Allelic variation in the indoleacetic acid-lysine synthase gene of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas savastanoi and its role in auxin production | Pintado A, Domínguez-Cerván H, Pastor V, Vincent M, Lee SG, Flors V, Ramos C | Front Plant Sci | 06-Jun-2023 |
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| Past, present and future trends in the remediation of heavy-metal contaminated soil - Remediation techniques applied in real soil-contamination events | Sánchez-Castro I, Molina L, Prieto-Fernández MÁ, Segura A | Heliyon | 27-May-2023 |
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| A review on arsenic in the environment: bio-accumulation, remediation, and disposal | Patel KS, Pandey PK, Martín-Ramos P, Corns WT, Varol S, Bhattacharya P, Zhu Y | RSC Adv | 16-May-2023 |
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| Contrasting influences of two dominant plants, Dasiphora fruticosa and Ligularia virguarea, on aboveground and belowground communities in an alpine meadow | Song H, Liu Z, Cui H, Chen J, Chen S, Gao H, Yang X, Wang Y, Wang J, Liu K, Xiao S, An L, Nielsen UN | Front Microbiol | 14-Apr-2023 |
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| Status of Ecosystem Services in Abandoned Mining Areas in the Iberian Peninsula: Management Proposal | González-Morales M, Rodríguez-González MÁ, Fernández-Pozo L | Toxics | 17-Mar-2023 |
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| eDNA metabarcoding reveals high soil fungal diversity and variation in community composition among Spanish cliffs | Krah F, March‐Salas M | Ecol Evol | 12-Dec-2022 |
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| High-Throughput Absolute Quantification Sequencing Reveals that a Combination of Leguminous Shrubs Is Effective in Driving Soil Bacterial Diversity During the Process of Desertification Reversal | Liu W, Qiu K, Xie Y, Huang Y, Wang R, Li H, Meng W, He Y, Li Y, Li H, Zhao P, Yang Y | Microb Ecol | 10-Dec-2022 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |