Nitraria Schoberi

[SeaWalnut]

I just realised that im cloose to somme bushes of Nitraria Schoberi ,the only place in Europe where it grows.
The fruits are edible and said to taste like salty grapes.So i will search it,photograph and taste the fruits,and get somme seeds.
Every bush its protected here and tolerates verry salty soil thats why ,probably,the berries are salty.

[SeaWalnut]

Found an immage with probably the exact bush from wich i will try the berries.

[Gogu]

Good luck with your search. A naturally salty fruit sounds interesting!

[sahai1]

Coccoloba uvifera is also like a salty grape, but description a bit off because very little flesh, more like a salty blueberry or something. 

[SeaWalnut]

Thx.
I know Cocoloba uvifera.Nitraria its a desert growing plant ,not growing near the sea ,but the small desert land where it grows ,used to be the bottom of an ancient sea so there is lot of salt there.In close proximity there is a salt mountain and even closer a saltwater river ( more like a stream but they call it a river).
On those 2-3 hills where Nitraria Schoberi grows ,there is fauna and flora nowhere found in Europe and altough its quite a small area it even has its own scorpions.Maybe i catch one and take photos when il go to search the fruits.

[Alejandro45]

I would love to see that scorpion! 

[SeaWalnut]

This is a related specie ,Nitraria Retusa and the white powder on the surface of the sand its salt.
Amazing in what a high salinity it can grow.

[SeaWalnut]

The results of somme research on Nitraria fruits and leaves compounds.Seems like it is a verry healthy fruit.https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/mmr.2014.2677

And here i finally found info about when the fruits get ripe.
Because its such a rare and forgotten fruit,it was hard to find even such basic information ,that they fruit rippens in August-September.
,,Ecological, biological and phytocoenological peculiarities. Grows in lower mountain belt, at the altitude of 700–800 meters above sea level, mostly in moist saline soils. Flowering from May to July, fruiting from August to September.,,

Tomorrow i plan to go and see if i find any fruit.

[SeaWalnut]

I found and ate the Nitraria Schoberi.
They were overripe and dryed and probably taste better when they are red not black.
They are sweet like an apple ,verry slightly sour almost not noticeable,somme are indeed salty and at the end they are slightly bitter.The bitterness is in the skin but i hope when they are not overripe they wont have it.
In this dryed state they have an aroma of smoked plum jam.The smoke is also slightly bitter.

Didnt found any scorpions but still had fun and i let the pictures speak for themselves.








Look at the roots how they stabilise the soil.The pool of mud is a mud volcanoe,like a small gheiser.

[SeaWalnut]

The seeds look like small alien heads.
They are a funny find, to eat a berry and find such seeds right in that enviroment wich looks and gives you the feeling that you are on another planet.
Add to that the feeling that im the only person on the whoole continent that ate these fruits in present time and i think ive just made the fruit hunting of my life.

I also made liquour from the berryes and it got really good,better than sour cherry liquour.

[Future]

cool stuff.  What's the annual rainfall?  Is there fog, dew  or other water source?  Wonder what would happen to these on  a beach in the tropics.

[All the fruit]

Wow, impressive. I want to visit that place and eat the fruit.

[SeaWalnut]

cool stuff.  What's the annual rainfall?  Is there fog, dew  or other water source?  Wonder what would happen to these on  a beach in the tropics.

Acording to a source il post at the end of the comment,a related specie,Nitraria Retusa ,is used under trial in Israel with seawater irigation to stabilise the sand.
The weather there in that small desert land its regular zone 6 weather,frost for a few months a year ,high heat in the summer and the eater is saltwater plus oil ( petrol) that floats on the surface of the mud volcanoes- the darker color floating on the mud ,you can see in the pics.
The soil thogh might be warmer from the volcanoes thogh,making the area a milder microclimate than zone 6 .The mud is cold to touch but doesnt freeze that easy in the winter.
Also,the small volcanoes release methane gas and there are even somme ,,live fires,, in the same geologis system.Fires that butn continuously and were lighted by lightning,methane gas,Its really an alien looking place.
https://books.google.ro/books?id=10IMFSavIMsC&pg=PA1116&lpg=PA1116&dq=israel+nitraria+schoberi+seawater&source=bl&ots=7HhTu_K-9S&sig=ACfU3U3LP8iPS2ZZoPNCv5eJpQgyTRrLNw&hl=ro&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihiPiixtHkAhWtxIsKHZ_oBooQ6AEwC3oECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=israel%20nitraria%20schoberi%20seawater&f=false
This are the related ,,live fires,, or ,,focul viu,, , where the methane gas got lighted by a lightning.
Where the volcanoes are,there is no fire thogh because the methane gas doesnt have a continuous flow.

[pagnr]

It looks pretty similar to the Nitre bush or Dillon bush in Australia. The fruit on different bushes are quite different, ie some more salty, more sweet, more astringent.
https://www.sanativefoods.org.au/nitre-bush

[SeaWalnut]

It looks pretty similar to the Nitre bush or Dillon bush in Australia. The fruit on different bushes are quite different, ie some more salty, more sweet, more astringent.
https://www.sanativefoods.org.au/nitre-bush

They are related species.The fruit of Nitraria Schoberi is darker , almost black .
I find it amazing that such closely related species are native to Australia and Europe with such a big distance  in between the continents.

[SeaWalnut]

Picture with one of my 2 Nitraria Schoberi flowering in a verry small ,2 litter( half a gallon) pot.
The soil it pure yellow clay.Nothing can grow in it except Nitraria.No fertiliser addeď and i didnt added salt ( NaCl).

[Giannhs]

Picture with one of my 2 Nitraria Schoberi flowering in a verry small ,2 litter( half a gallon) pot.
The soil it pure yellow clay.Nothing can grow in it except Nitraria.No fertiliser addeď and i didnt added salt ( NaCl).

I m jealous for this plant! Beautiful flowers too, and the leaves look like eatable. No wonder there is a relative Australian plant. There is native Australian portulaca too, similar to the European one.
Can you send me some Nitraria Schoberi seeds?

[SeaWalnut]

For the moment i dont send this Nitraria Schoberi.
Im the only one on the european continent that eats this.
I will have to consider well if i want to give somme seeds away.
If its not invasive,if the person realises how rare this plant is and has enough respect for it as it is a natural monument here protected by law ( criminal record ,jail ,for breaking Nitraria Schoberi leaves,etc).
I will announce you if i will give away the seeds.

[Giannhs]

i profoundly respect the Nitraria Schoberi and the person who takes good care of it.
Can you please post some photos of the fruit, whole fruit, fruit cut in halves, and seeds alone, next to a measure tape or ruler (so we know the exact size)?