Scorpiurus muricatus

Scorpiurus muricatus, the caterpillar-plant^[1] or prickly scorpion's-tail,^[2] is an annual leguminous plant native to southern Europe and the region of Syria with tiny pea-like flowers and simple leaves uncharacteristic of a legume. Its contorted, pubescent pods give rise to its common name "prickly caterpillar". Extracts of the species have been found to have allelopathic effects on microbes of the genus Fusarium due to the high concentration of phytoalexins in the plants' tissues.^[3]

Scorpiurus muricatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Scorpiurus
Species:	S. muricatus
Binomial name
Scorpiurus muricatus L.
Synonyms
List Scorpioides elegans Bubani Scorpioides muricata (L.) Medik. Scorpioides sulcata (L.) Medik. Scorpiurus acutifolius Viv. Scorpiurus echinatus Lam. Scorpiurus laevigatus Sm. Scorpiurus margaritae P.Palau Scorpiurus minimus Losinsk. Scorpiurus muricatus var. margaritae (P.Palau) E.Domínguez & E.F.Galiano Scorpiurus oliveri P.Palau Scorpiurus subvillosus L. Scorpiurus sulcatus L.

Scorpiurus muricatus - MHNT

This is mainly a garden plant used as a groundcover. Its densely haired pods may be added to salads for interest, and its leaves used as a salad herb in some Mediterranean countries.

References

1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Scorpiurus muricatus​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
3. H. P. Singh; Daizy R. Batish; R. K. Kohli (June 2001). "Allelopathy in Agroecosystems". Journal of Crop Improvement: innovations in practice, theory and research. 4 (2): 1–41. doi:10.1300/J144V04N02_01. ISSN 1092-678X. S2CID 129756850. Wikidata Q111370060.