Retama raetam is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to northern Africa from the Western Sahara to Sudan, Sicily, Israel, Sinai Peninsula, the Palestine region and Saudi Arabia, and widely naturalized elsewhere.[1]

Retama raetam
In habitat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Retama
Species:
R. raetam
Binomial name
Retama raetam
(Forssk.) Webb & Berthel.[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Genista raetam Forssk.
  • Lygos raetam (Forssk.) Heywood
  • Spartium raetam (Forssk.) Spach

Taxonomy edit

The species was first described in 1775 by Peter Forsskål as Genista raetam.[1][2] The epithet was derived from the Hebrew name from the Hebrew Bible. Retama raetam is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in Books of Kings and in Book of Job. the Hebrew name is "Rotem", and the translated name is "Broom tree".[3]

.[2] The species was transferred to Retama by Philip Barker-Webb and Sabin Berthelot in part of a publication that has been dated to 1842.[4][5] The species that occurs in the Canary Islands is now considered to be Retama rhodorhizoides,[6] rather than R. raetam, although the latter name has been used for Canary Island plants.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Retama raetam (Forssk.) Webb & Berthel.", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2018-02-15
  2. ^ a b Forsskål, Pehr (Peter, Petrus) (1775), "66. Genista raetam", Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica (in Latin), Havnia, p. 214, OCLC 165494335, retrieved 2018-02-15{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Retama raetam in the hebrew bible".
  4. ^ Webb, Philip Barker & Berthelot, Sabin (1842) [title page 1836–1850], "Retama raetam", Histoire Naturelle des Iles Canaries: Vol. 3(2) Phytographia Canariensis, p. 56, retrieved 2018-02-15
  5. ^ Stafleu, Frans A. & Cowan, Richard S. (1988), Taxonomic Literature, Volume VII: W–Z, vol. 7, retrieved 2018-02-02, p. 120
  6. ^ Salas, Marcos; del Arco, Marcelino; Acebes, Juan Ramón; Naranjo, Agustín & González, Ricardo (2003), "Los retamares de Retama rhodorhizoides Webb & Berthel. en Gran Canaria: Echio decaisnei-Retametum rhodorhizoidis ass. nov." (PDF), Vieraea (in Spanish), 31: 201–206, retrieved 2018-02-15
  7. ^ Bramwell, David & Bramwell, Zoë (2001), Wild Flowers of the Canary Islands (2nd ed.), Madrid: Editorial Rueda, p. 202, ISBN 84-7207-129-4