Retama dasycarpa


Retama dasycarpa is a flowering bush species in the genus Retama, endemic to Morocco. It is locally known as "R'tem" or "Algu".

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1878 by John Ball as Genista dasycarpa and was later renamed as Retama dasycarpa in an 1892 publication by Ernest Cosson.

Ethnopharmacology

Seeds of R. ''dasycarpa'' are traditionally used against urological and nephrological diseases by Tashelhit speaking communities in the High Atlas.

Symbiosis

Like most other legumes, R. ''dasycarpa forms nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with soil Bacteria known as rhizobia, specifically with members of the genus Bradyrhizobium. Plants studied in the High Atlas contained strains most closely related to B. lupini, B. frederickii, B. valentinum, and B. retamae. Plants studied in the Al-Maamora Forest contained strains most closely related to B. lupini, B. cytisi, and B. canariense plus one putative new species. Certain strains of Bradyrhizobium were shown to enhance the resilience to drought in R. dasycarpa''.