Scorpiurus muricatus
species of plant
Scorpiurus muricatus, the caterpillar-plant or prickly scorpion's-tail, is an annual leguminous plant native to southern Europe and the region of Syria with tiny pea-like flowers and simple leaves uncharacteristic of a legume. Its contorted, pubescent pods give rise to its common name "prickly caterpillar". Extracts of the species have been found to have allelopathic effects on microbes of the genus Fusarium due to the high concentration of phytoalexins in the plants' tissues.
This is mainly a garden plant used as a groundcover. Its densely haired pods may be added to salads for interest, and its leaves used as a salad herb in some Mediterranean countries.
The public source identifies “Scorpiurus muricatus” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Scorpiurus, muricatus and species.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 17, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3762497. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Scorpiurus muricatus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.