Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 26, 2026

Nucularia

Nucularia perrinii, known as askaf, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It is the sole species in genus Nucularia. Its native range is Selvagens to the western and central Sahara and Sahel. Askaf is a crucial plant to Sahrawi camel nomads, providing salt and water to camels even during dry spells and causing a characteristic flavor to camel milk.

Last revised
Jun 26, 2026
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Nucularia
Nucularia perrinii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Nucularia
Batt. (1903)
Species:
N. perrinii
Binomial name
Nucularia perrinii
Batt. (1903)

Nucularia perrinii, known as askaf, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It is the sole species in genus Nucularia. Its native range is Selvagens to the western and central Sahara and Sahel.1 Askaf is a crucial plant to Sahrawi camel nomads, providing salt and water to camels even during dry spells and causing a characteristic flavor to camel milk.2

Distribution

Nucularia perrinii is an endemic halophyte plant of central and western Sahara.2

References

References

  1. "Nucularia Batt. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. Volpato, Gabriele; Di Nardo, Antonello (2017). "The role of Nucularia perrinii Batt. (Chenopodiaceae) in the camel-based Sahrawi social-ecological system". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 13 (1): 12. doi:10.1186/s13002-017-0141-3. PMC 5299638. PMID 28179025.