Peganum harmala
speciesAt a glance
Sources14 archives
Databases and archives Peganum harmala's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation14 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility6 547 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI25 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics38 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
dukesphytochemcompounds
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Peganum harmala, commonly called wild rue, Syrian rue, African rue, esfand or espand,Mahmoud Omidsalar Esfand: a common weed found in Persia, Central Asia, and the adjacent areas Encyclopedia Iranica Vol. VIII, Fasc. 6, pp. 583–584. Originally published: 15 December 1998. Online version last updated 19 January 2012 or harmel, (among other similar pronunciations and spellings) is a perennial, herbaceous plant, with a woody underground root-stock, of the family Nitrariaceae, usually growing in saline soils in temperate desert and Mediterranean regions. Its common English-language name came about because of a resemblance to rue (to which it is not related). Because eating it can cause livestock to sicken or die, it is considered a noxious weed in a number of countries. It has become an invasive species in some regions of the western United States. The plant is popular in Middle Eastern and north African folk medicine. The alkaloids contained in the plant, including the seeds, are monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Harmine, Harmaline).
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology13
Life cycle & reproduction8
Diet & foraging1
Habitat & environment14
Physiology & chemistry7
Other traits3
Compounds documented for Peganum harmala across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds127 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WATER | 677,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| PROTEIN | 352,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FIBER | 176,475 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FAT | 175,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| ASH | 105,250 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| CALCIUM | 5,600 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| PHOSPHORUS | 600 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| COPPER | 9 ppm | DukesPhytochem |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Peganum harmala has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manual Peganum harmala carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 2421×CCDB · iber-fl · CCDB · fl-europaea · CCDB · ipcn-api-dl +6
2n 223×CCDB · ipcn-api-dl · CCDB · book-fedorov · CCDB · CromoCat 2015
n 125×CCDB · book-ipcn65 · CCDB · ipcn-api-dl · CCDB · book-ipcn75-78 +2
n 242×CCDB · book-ipcn73-74 · CCDB · CromoCat 2015
n 61×CCDB · iapt
n 111×CCDB · ita-fl
polyploid inferred1×PloiDB · family-scale
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
Record type6 547 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions91 of 153 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistanlocation not on record | 151 |
| Moscow State Universitylocation not on record | 133 |
| Beijing, CN | 92 |
| BClocation not on record | 92 |
| MAlocation not on record | 70 |
| GMBAlocation not on record | 68 |
| Adelaide, AU | 61 |
| València, ES | 57 |
| Yangling, CN | 41 |
| Urumqi, CN | 31 |
| Barcelona, ES | 28 |
| BDBClocation not on record | 28 |
| Lanzhou, CN | 26 |
| Wlocation not on record | 25 |
| Bronx, US | 25 |
| BRNUlocation not on record | 25 |
| Austin, US | 23 |
| WNNUlocation not on record | 22 |
| Albuquerque, US | 21 |
| EL PASO, US | 16 |
| Edinburgh, GB | 14 |
| Kew, GB | 14 |
| Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record | 13 |
| Fort Worth, US | 13 |
| Jiangxi College of Educationlocation not on record | 13 |
| Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record | 13 |
| Alicante, ES | 13 |
| Salamanca, ES | 12 |
| Claremont, US | 12 |
| Riverside, US | 11 |
| Phyletisches Museum Jenalocation not on record | 11 |
| Canberra, AU | 11 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 10 |
| Granada, ES | 10 |
| ASUlocation not on record | 9 |
| Chapel Hill, US | 9 |
| Beijing, CN | 9 |
| Mount Annan, AU | 8 |
| Rishon Le Zion, IL | 8 |
| EEZA-CSIClocation not on record | 7 |
| Herbarium of South China Botanical Gardenlocation not on record | 7 |
| Xining, CN | 7 |
| College of the Atlantic, Museumlocation not on record | 7 |
| Xian, CN | 7 |
| LDlocation not on record | 7 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 7 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 7 |
| Berlin, DE | 7 |
| Mlocation not on record | 7 |
| Baroda, IN | 6 |
| Saint Louis, US | 6 |
| Phoenix, US | 6 |
| South Kensington, GB | 6 |
| Entomological Society of Latvialocation not on record | 6 |
| Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Scienceslocation not on record | 5 |
| Madrid, ES | 5 |
| San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record | 5 |
| Nanjing, CN | 5 |
| GBS RAN - Glavny Botanichesky Sad Rossijskoj Akademii Nauklocation not on record | 5 |
| Paris, FR | 5 |
| Badajoz, ES | 4 |
| Zürich, CH | 4 |
| Denver, US | 4 |
| Museo Achille Folettolocation not on record | 4 |
| Museo della Bonifica di San Donà di Piavelocation not on record | 4 |
| Uppsala, SE | 4 |
| Government College University Lahore, Dr. Sultan Ahmad Herbariumlocation not on record | 4 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 4 |
| Stockholm, SE | 4 |
| Tampa, US | 4 |
| Wuhan, CN | 4 |
| Institut und Museum fuer Geologie und Palaeontologielocation not on record | 3 |
| Minia, EG | 3 |
| Flagstaff, US | 3 |
| Jaén, ES | 3 |
| Davis, US | 3 |
| Logan, US | 3 |
| GZUlocation not on record | 3 |
| Shanghai, CN | 3 |
| Boise, US | 3 |
| San Angelo, US | 3 |
| IDElocation not on record | 3 |
| Universidad del Pais Vasco (UPV/EHU)location not on record | 3 |
| San Diego, US | 3 |
| Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Scienceslocation not on record | 3 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 3 |
| Kunming, CN | 3 |
| Wuzhou, CN | 3 |
| Santa Barbara, US | 3 |
| Vitoria, ES | 3 |
| Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Vascular Plant Herbariumlocation not on record | 3 |
| Urumqi, CN | 3 |
| Tianjin Natural History Museumlocation not on record | 3 |
| Institute of Applied Ecology, Academia Sinicalocation not on record | 3 |
| Pullman, US | 3 |
| Bozeman, US | 2 |
| Shanghai, CN | 2 |
| Pretoria, ZA | 2 |
| MeiseBGlocation not on record | 2 |
| Taipei, TW | 2 |
| PRClocation not on record | 2 |
| BAYLUlocation not on record | 2 |
| CICYTEXlocation not on record | 2 |
| Salvador, BR | 2 |
| Karlsruhe, DE | 2 |
| GJOlocation not on record | 2 |
| Corvallis, US | 2 |
| DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record | 2 |
| Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicachlocation not on record | 2 |
| Oskarshamn, SE | 2 |
| Lubbock, US | 2 |
| Mexico City, MX | 2 |
| Vancouver, CA | 2 |
| Auckland, NZ | 2 |
| Chengdu, CN | 2 |
| Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Scienceslocation not on record | 2 |
| Sevilla, ES | 2 |
| Mexico City, MX | 2 |
| Musee des Dinosaures d'Esperaza (Aude)location not on record | 2 |
| Cape Town, ZA | 2 |
| Awka, NG | 1 |
| CASlocation not on record | 1 |
| Plocation not on record | 1 |
| Monastir, TN | 1 |
| RJBJCIlocation not on record | 1 |
| Staatliches Museum fuer Naturkunde Karlsruhe (State Museum of Natural History)location not on record | 1 |
| JBCLMlocation not on record | 1 |
| Guangxi Institute of Traditional Medical and Pharmaceutical Scienceslocation not on record | 1 |
| Peking Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Pamplona, ES | 1 |
| AUAlocation not on record | 1 |
| Chadron, US | 1 |
| Qarshi Botanical Gardenlocation not on record | 1 |
| Arequipa, PE | 1 |
| WTUlocation not on record | 1 |
| Provo, US | 1 |
| Córdoba, ES | 1 |
| Northridge, US | 1 |
| USFSlocation not on record | 1 |
| Henderson, US | 1 |
| Grand Junction, US | 1 |
| DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record | 1 |
| McWane Science Centerlocation not on record | 1 |
| Dresden, DE | 1 |
| Bloomington, US | 1 |
| New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Sciencelocation not on record | 1 |
| Moscow, US | 1 |
| Clemson, US | 1 |
| Shanxi Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Hobart, AU | 1 |
| Dehra Dun, IN | 1 |
| Brisbane, AU | 1 |
| Chongqing Natural History Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Peganum harmala was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.