Camel's Thorn

Camel's Thorn (Althagi), a genus of Leguminosæ (q.v.). The species are herbs or under-shrubs, and chiefly inhabit the deserts of the East, where they are of great importance as affording food for camels. Several species, notably the herbaceous A. camelorum, yield a kind of oriental manna, which appears in the form of drops, as of honey, on the leaves, and gradually hardens. It is imported into India from Kabul and Kandahar. See MANNA.