Caltrop, Puncturevine
Tribulus terrestris
Family: Zygophyllaceae
What it is like
Tribulus terrestris is a ANNUAL/BIENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) at a fast rate. It is frost tender. It is in flower from April to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Dry open habitats, often as a weed in Europe. Sandy seashores in Japan.
Europe - N. France and eastwards to E. Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Leaves and young shoots - cooked. A nutritional analysis is available. Fruit - cooked. The unexpanded seed capsules are ground into a powder and made into a bread. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails.
Medicine
Rating: 3
The seed is abortifacient, alterative, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, demulcent, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, pectoral and tonic. It stimulates blood circulation. A decoction is used in treating impotency in males, nocturnal emissions, gonorrhoea and incontinence of urine. It has also proved effective in treating painful urination, gout and kidney diseases. The plant has shown anticancer activity. The flowers are used in the treatment of leprosy. The stems are used in the treatment of scabious skin diseases and psoriasis. The dried and concocted fruits are used in the treatment of congestion, gas, headache, liver, ophthalmia and stomatitis.
Abortifacient: Causes an abortion.
Alterative: Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.
Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.
Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Demulcent: Soothes, lubricates and softens irritated tissues, especially the mucous membranes.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Infertility: Used in treating problems of human fertility.
Leprosy: Used to treat leprosy - a chronic bacterial infection of the skin and superficial nerves (in the skin) caused by Mycobacterium leprae.
Pectoral: Relieves respiratory diseases, a remedy for chest diseases.
Other
Rating: 0
How it is grown
We have very little information on this species and are not sure how successful it will be in Britain. There are conflicting reports on its hardiness - according to one report it is native to N. France which should make it hardy in Britain whilst another report says that it is only hardy in zone 10 which means that it is not frost tolerant. We would suggest treating it as a frost tender annual and then experimenting with its hardiness. It is likely to require a well-drained dry to moist soil and is also likely to be tolerant of maritime exposure. The plant is very fast growing from seed. A good bee plant.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frost.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual/Biennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist