Polycarpaea repens
{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Polycarpaea repens in Qatar.jpg
|image_caption = Polycarpaea repens in southern Qatar
|genus = Polycarpaea
|species = repens
|authority = (Forssk.) Asch. & Schweinf.{{cite web |title=Polycarpaea repens (Forssk.) Asch. & Schweinf. |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:156169-1 |accessdate=17 June 2025}}
}}
Polycarpaea repens is a low-growing herbaceous plant belonging to the Caryophyllaceae family. It is indigenous to arid and semi-arid regions across North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and into Pakistan.
Description
Polycarpaea repens is an annual or short-lived perennial, with a woody base and spreading, slender branches. Its size ranges from 5 to 30 cm.{{cite web|title=Kameela|work=Qatar e-Nature|url=https://www.enature.qa/en/specie/kameela/|accessdate=17 June 2025}} It forms low, hairy, sprawling mats. Small leaves bear rough stipules, and its flowers are diminutive. The fruit is a small, many-seeded capsule.{{cite book|last=Abdel Bary|first1=Ekhlas M.M.|url=https://www.qu.edu.qa/en-us/research/esc/documents/books/the-flora-of-qatar-the-dicotyledons.pdf|title=The Flora of Qatar (The Dicotyledons)|volume=1|publisher=Qatar University|date=November 2012|location=Doha|page=313}}
Habitat
This species typically occupies sandy or stony soils and is frequently found in sabkha margins, sand sheets, and gravel plains.
Distribution
It naturally occurs from the Sahara through the Persian Gulf States to Pakistan.
Folk use
In Qatar, local Bedouin accounts note its traditional use in treating camel mange and as an antidote for snakebites.