Abstract
Small evergreen shrubs of the family Fabaceae represent a large proportion of current Mediterranean mountain vegetation. Their low pastoral value and tendency for encroachment makes these plants undesirable. In this paper, the thermal and chemical characteristics of Echinospartum horridum, a thorny cushion-shaped dwarf shrub native to the French Central Massif and the Pyrenees (particularly dominant in the shrublands of the Pyrenees), have been analyzed with a view to its valorization. Although the higher and lower heating values of the biomass from E. horridum met the ISO 17225-2:2014 requirements for its use in pellets, the ash content was slightly above the upper limit, so it would not comply with the normative for its acceptable use as a fuel. Nevertheless, the presence of high added-value flavonoids and lignans in its extracts, which are receiving increasing recent interest as efficient anti-tumor drugs and antivirals, may open the door to the valorization of this shrub for pharmacological applications.
Highlights
Echinospartum horridum, commonly called “erizón”, “abrizón”, “escarpín” or “tollaga” is a long-lived perennial shrub of the Fabaceae family, endemic of the south-west extreme of Europe
Its distribution area is restricted to the central-western sector of the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees ranges and barely crosses the borderline to the French northern slope (Figure 1)
The E. horridum samples under study were collected in Monrepós pass, Huesca, Spain (42◦18.98900 N, 0◦ 16.69290 W, 1191.2 m.a.s.l.) in May 2019
Summary
Echinospartum horridum, commonly called “erizón”, “abrizón”, “escarpín” or “tollaga” is a long-lived (up to 30–40 years) perennial shrub of the Fabaceae family, endemic of the south-west extreme of Europe. Its distribution area is restricted to the central-western sector of the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees ranges (from Leoz and Roncal Valleys in Navarra to the Ribagorza in Aragon) and barely crosses the borderline to the French northern slope (Figure 1). It may be found in a tiny village in the Massif Central in France. As for its morphology, E. horridum is a taprooted, thorny, cushion-shaped shrub with a very dense structure, which can exceed 50 cm in height and 1 m in diameter. The leaf is composed, with three lanceolate, hairy below, early-falling leaflets of only 5–8
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
