It is hard to find a more resilient plant in the Sahel. This tree of the family of the Capparacea grows from the zone south of the Sahel to even the remote corners of the desert such as the Kawar, the Djado and the Fezzan in south of Libya. In the fruiting season in April, the species is very popular among birds that come suck the sweet juice of its pods. What is particularly interesting is that this tree has a very abundant foliage. These leaves are an import source of food for goats and camels, but more importantly they form a rich food for humans as well. While suffering of a bitter and spicy taste at first, probably due to glucosinolates, they become completely comestible once debittered through boiling or soaking in tepid water. They are regularly used as a principal ingredient in the sauce of multiple Sahelien communities, such as the inhabitants of the Tanout department or the region surrounding the Koutouss mountain chain in Gouré. Traditionally, they were also part of the daily food of the Touaregs in the Aïr mountains, who ate ground jiga leaves in goats milk.
Nutrition wise, the leaves are score high: rich in proteins up to 15.5 % and containing a good amount of all eight essential amino-acids, accompanied by significant levels of iron, calcium, magnesium and selenium. The jiga leaves are well comparable to the popular Moringa oleifera leaves, a species celebrated for its rich nutrition. But better than Moringa, this plant can thrive in almost all arid areas of the Sahel up to a rainfall-level of 100 mm per year without needing any irrigation. For food security, it is hard to find better than this.