identifying the plant source of an edible seed from Iraq

I know these salted nuts are called ‘sissi’ in Iraq, where they are a traditional snack, but what plant do they come from?

Because of the distinctive spiny tips on the husks, I think these are seeds of Gundelia tournefortii. The plant is native to rocky soils of the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, and is a type of thistle called ‘akkoub’ in Arabic, and ‘akuvit ha-galgal’ (possibly meaning wheeled thistle because it forms tumbleweeds, or perhaps thistle tough enough to ensnare wheels) in Hebrew. Its English common name is tumble thistle. The species is named for Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, author of the 1717 book Relation d’un voyage du Levant, fait par ordre du roy An illustration from the book depicts it.

Not only are the seeds edible, but so too are the immature inflorescences (similar to artichoke). Over-harvesting of the unopened flowering heads by commercial enterprises can lead to broad swathes where plants are not given a chance to flower and produce seeds. Conservation efforts are underway in Jordan, Israel and Palestine, and elsewhere in the region to make sure this important seasonal food plant is cultivated and harvested sustainably.

Edible seeds, Edible wild plants, Gundelia tournefortii, Plant conservation

Rare Plants: The Story of 40 of the World’s Most Unusual and Endangered Plants

I first glanced through “Rare Plants’ by Ed Ikin for the beautiful plant images: artwork and herbarium specimens from the vast collections of Kew Gardens dating back to the 1700s. These alone would make this book worthwhile, but there is much more. The heart of this book is a collection of essays on 40 plants from around the world that are rare or unknown in the wild. What’s surprising is that many are very familiar to gardeners in the Pacific Northwest.

An example is the Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) with its distinctive and frequently seen profile on the Seattle landscape. Native to the slopes of Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina, it is endangered because of its heavy use for timber, slow regeneration because of fires (often deliberately set), and competition from exotics (including eucalyptus) and agriculture.

One traditional way to preserve rare plant is through seed banks, but that is not an option for the Monkey Puzzle – the seeds do not survive the desiccation and chilling typical for these facilities. The author recommends instead growing the tree in suitable climates as a preservation technique, and recommends planting groves to emulate the natural associations of these dioecious plants. Image such a grove in the Chilean Garden at Pacific Connections!

These stories are an engaging way to study conservation and threatened plants, and the choice to illustrate using historic documents is very effective. Ikin, the deputy director of Kew’s wild botanic garden at Wakehurst, also raises some difficult questions, especially for plant collectors in the UK and in North America.

For example, African violets (Streptocarpus ionanthus) is a mainstay of the multi-million dollar houseplant industry, but has become exceedingly rare in its native Kenya and Tanzania. The author asks, should these countries receive some of the profit from the selling of these plants? Aloe vera, a plant well-known by many non-gardeners for its presumed healing qualities, is unknown in the wild. However, DNA studies are gradually solving the mystery location of its origin, somewhere on the Arabian Peninsula. When that is pinpointed, should that original host country (or countries) be compensated for this plant valued around the world?

Ikin is always eager to share positive outcomes, too. “Lebanon is pioneering a new approach new land management – a balance between preserving biodiversity and provisioning human need – and the results are promising.“ This is good news for the endangered, Lebanese endemic Iris sofarana, the Sofar Iris with its striking blend of marbled greys and bronze with purple highlights. Also hopeful are new cultivation techniques in Ukraine that are slowing the wild harvest of increasingly rare Galanthus nivalis (known ironically as the “common snowdrop”) to allow for its natural recovery and to ensure income to its the host country.

Co-winner of the 2021 Annual Literature Award from the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries

Excerpted from the Summer 2021 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

NatureServe Explorer

An impressive database of information for over 70,000 species of plants and animals and ecosystems of the United States and Canada. NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization that provides the scientific information and tools needed to help guide effective conservation action. Data includes conservation status, distribution and economic attributes.

Native Plants Database

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center site offers a database with information on native plants and related organizations searchable by region, state or city. Included are native plant societies, conservation groups, governmental agencies, botanic gardens and arboreta. Sources for nurseries and seed suppliers are searchable by an alphabetical list, or by state, city, or zip. The “Mr. Smarty Plants” database has questions answered by staff members of the Wildflower Center.

Plant Talk – Plant Conservation Worldwide

“Plant Talk was founded in 1995 and was designed as an independent voice to help and support all those fortunate people who work in the conservation of plants; either professionally or as amateurs.”

Center for Plant Conservation

“The mission of the Center for Plant Conservation is to conserve and restore the rare native plants of the United States.”

Plant Conservation Alliance

PCA Members and Cooperators work collectively to solve the problems of native plant extinction and native habitat restoration, ensuring the preservation of our ecosystem.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

A United Nation initiated effort that “assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. From 2001 to 2005, the MA involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably.”

Center for Plant Conservation

The mission of the Center for Plant Conservation is to “conserve and restore the rare native plants of the United States”. This site describes the center’s programs and publications, but the heart is the National Collection of Endangered Plants database which list descriptions, distributions, habitat and extensive bibliographies on 580 rare North American plants and the member institutions where they are grown.

Rare Plant Care and Conservation

Rare Care Plant Conservation Program is dedicated to conserving Washington’s native rare plants through methods including ex situ conservation, rare plant monitoring, reintroduction, and education.