Stimulating desert flower

 

Fresh back from leading a tour to Morocco*, my lasting memories include vast dry plains flanked by the snow-capped Atlas mountains, crowded souqs and rooftop bars in Marrakesh, the amplified call to prayer (adnan) five times a day and the flowering spike of desert hyacinth (Cistanche). (Also argan tree and a few charmingly thorny dryland shrubs I might feature in future posts.)

A few days into the tour we headed east from Marrakesh across the High Atlas at Tiz n'Tishka (having arrived in Marrakesh from Agadir via the more tortuous Tizi n'Test route) then inland via Ouarzazate and Tineghir. The land flattened and dried as we approach Merzouga on the western edge of the Sahara.

Apart from the stunning topography and tenacious towns, there was a plant I couldn't get enough of, the desert hyacinth (or desert ginseng or desert broomrape). Last year, leading the same tour, I got excited as we crossed rivers and noticed among the native tamarisk clusters of bright yellow flowers. When we slowed down a little, it was clear they were the flowers of the yellow desert hyacinth, probably Cistanche phelypaea (previously Cistanche flava; and similar to Cistanche tuberosa...), found right across northern Africa, southern Europe and some of the Atlantic islands. 

So not uncommon in nature, but rare to me. Even more exciting - for me - when we stopped at the edge of the medina in our walk around the town of Tineghir, I spotted a second species which I think is purple desert hyacinth, Cistanche violacea. Again, not incredibly uncommon but this time only distributed across northern Africa and into the Middle East.

Both species produce no leaves and are parasitic on the roots of nearby plants. In the case of the yellow desert hyacinth, the host is mostly tamarisk or athel pine (Tamarix aphylla), a widespread tree in these parts (and a weed in parts of inland Australia). For the purple desert hyacinth, a range of salt bush relatives and sometimes possibly tamarisk.

All the purple-flowered desert hyacinths were smaller in stature, reaching only 10 to 20 centimetres in height. The yellow-flowered species was sometimes over a metre high, especially on the edge of the Sahara.

The genus Cistanche includes 20 to 30 species, depending on the interpretation of botanists and according to the most recent molecular comparisons an underestimate. Most of them live in deserts or dry plains such as the ones we traversed on the way to Merzouga. They are difficult to identify so the botanical names I've used here are tentative.

However, if you look through the scientific literature for help with identification, you'll more often find extravagant claims about their purported use for curing ailments such as hormone balancing, anti-aging, anti-dementia, anti-tumor, anti-oxidative and various protective qualities for brain and liver. Some reports highlight improvements in men's sexual drive and libido. 

So far at least 200 compounds have been isolated in the quest to find yet more medicinal benefits from consuming desert hyacinth. It has long been part of traditional medicine in many parts of the world, including China. In Morocco, it is one of 360 plants species used as a traditional remedy or, we might say in some cases, life enhancer, by more than half the local population.

It's worth noting here that many of the plant extract mixtures used in Morocco (and elsewhere) include terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, phenols and esters, meaning that much of the population is exposed to frequent, sometimes serious, and irreversible side effects. This includes poisoning through the overuse of essential oils.

So best to enjoy your desert hyacinths as a visual treat. I certainly did.

*ASA Cultural Tours 'Spectacular landscapes, gardens, imperial cities and kasbahs of Morocco', with places still available for 2027.