|
Mediterranean Dry Woodlands And Steppe
The Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion of North Africa. It occupies interior plateaus and mountain ranges of the Maghreb region, lying generally between the coastal Mediterranean woodlands and forests to the north and the Sahara to the south. Setting The Mediterranean woodlands and forests occupy an area of in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. The main portion of the ecoregions extends from the southern slopes of the High Atlas in eastern Morocco across Algeria and Tunisia, where it meets the Mediterranean shore at the Gulf of Gabes. In Algeria, it lies south of the coastal Tell Atlas, covering the high plateau and Saharan Atlas. Further east, several enclaves of the ecoregion lie nearer the coast. In western Tripolitania it lies to the Mediterranean shore, and on the Cyrenaica peninsula it forms a belt between the Mediterranean woodlands and forests and the Sahara. The easternmost portion of the ecoreg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Siberian region; the Mediterranean Basin; the Sahara and Arabian Deserts; and Western, Central and East Asia. The Palaearctic realm also has numerous rivers and lakes, forming several freshwater ecoregions. The term 'Palearctic' was first used in the 19th century, and is still in use as the basis for zoogeographic classification. History In an 1858 paper for the ''Proceedings of the Linnean Society'', British zoologist Philip Sclater first identified six terrestrial zoogeographic realms of the world: Palaearctic, Aethiopian/ Afrotropic, Indian/ Indomalayan, Australasian, Nearctic, and Neotropical. The six indicated general groupings of fauna, based on shared biogeography and large-scale geographic barriers to migration. Alfred W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between longitudes E16 and E25, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, also known as ''Pentapolis'' ("Five Cities") in antiquity, was part of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica, later divided into ''Libya Pentapolis'' and ''Libya Sicca''. During the Islamic period, the area came to be known as ''Barqa'', after the city of Barca. Cyrenaica became an Italian colony in 1911. After the 1934 formation of Libya, the Cyrenaica province was designated as one of the three primary provinces of the country. During World War II, it fell under British military and civil administration from 1943 until 1951, and finally in the Kingdom of Libya from 1951 until 1963. The region that used to be Cyrenaica officially until 1963 has formed sev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ziziphus Lotus
''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and long; some species are deciduous, others evergreen. The flowers are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The fruit is an edible drupe, yellow-brown, red, or black, globose or oblong, long, often very sweet and sugary, reminiscent of a date in texture and flavour. Etymology The generic name is derived via classical Latin from Hellenistic Greek, where it is presumed to have been borrowed from another language, perhaps from ''zizfum'' or ''zizafun'', the Persian word for '' Z. lotus''. Ecology ''Ziziphus'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including '' Bucculatrix zizyphella'', which feeds exclusively on the genus, and '' Endoclita malabaricus''. Well known species includes ''Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pistacia Atlantica
''Pistacia atlantica'' is a species of pistachio tree known by the English common name Mt. Atlas mastic tree, Atlas pistachio, Atlantic pistacio, Atlantic terebinth, Cyprus turpentine tree, and Persian turpentine tree. ''P. atlantica'' has three subspecies or varieties which have been described as ''atlantica'', ''cabulica,'' and ''mutica''. According to molecular phylogenetic studies, ''P. atlantica'' subsp. ''kurdica'' is actually a separate species, '' Pistacia eurycarpa''. Names In Iran it is called ''baneh'' or ''wild pistachio tree''.Pourreza, M., et al. (2008)Sustainability of wild pistachio (''Pistacia atlantica'' Desf.) in Zagros forests, Iran.''Forest Ecology and Management'' 255 3667-71. In Tamazight, it is known as Tijjeɣt. In the Canary Islands it is known as Almacigo, and in Arabic it is called (''buṭm'' or ''buṭum''). In southern Iran, in Bandar-Abbas in Hormozgān Province, it is called ''kasoudang'' and in Bushehr it is called ''kolkhong''. In Tur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamarisk
The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tamaris River in Hispania Tarraconensis (Spain). Description They are evergreen or deciduous shrubs or trees growing to in height and forming dense thickets. The largest, '' Tamarix aphylla'', is an evergreen tree that can grow to tall. They usually grow on saline soils, tolerating up to 15,000 ppm soluble salt, and can also tolerate alkaline conditions. Tamarisks are characterized by slender branches and grey-green foliage. The bark of young branches is smooth and reddish brown. As the plants age, the bark becomes gray-brown, ridged and furrowed. The leaves are scale-like, almost like that of junipers, 1–2 mm (1/20" to 1/10") long, and overlap each other along the stem. They are often encrusted with salt secretions. The pink t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Retama Retam
''Retama'' (also known as ''rotem'', he, רותם) is a genus of flowering bushes in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the broom tribe, Genisteae. ''Retama'' broom bushes are found natively in North Africa, the Levant and some parts of southern Europe. ''Retama raetam'' and ''Retama monosperma'' have white flowers, while ''Retama sphaerocarpa'' has yellow flowers. It remains an open question in taxonomy whether the members of the genus ''Retama'' should be incorporated into the genus ''Genista'' (see Genisteae). The species contain cytisine, a toxic alkaloid. In the Spanish language the name ''retama'' is commonly used for broom bushes in general, including the genus ''Retama''. Taxonomy The genus ''Retama'' was erected in 1838 by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, the genus name being derived from the Arabic name. Rafinesque noted that the genus had been included in other genera, including ''Spartium'', ''Cytisus'' and ''Genista'', but he regarded it as distinct. The n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aristida Pungens
''Aristida pungens'' is a member of the family Poaceae, known in Arabic as drinn. Uses ''Aristida pungens'' is a tall perennial plant with deep roots and long leaves. Extremely drought-resistant, drinn grows in areas with as little as 70 mm of rainfall per year. A traditional food plant in Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ..., References pungens Flora of Morocco Flora of North Africa Flora of Western Asia Crops originating from Africa Cereals {{Poaceae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lygeum Spartum
''Lygeum'' is a genus of Mediterranean plants in the grass family. It is placed in its own tribe Lygeeae, which is sister to Nardeae. The only known species is ''Lygeum spartum'', commonly called esparto grass, cord grass or albardine, which is distributed in arid areas around the Mediterranean Sea. It is similar to '' Stipa tenacissima''Garcı́a-Fuentes, A., et al. (2001)Review of communities of ''Lygeum spartum'' L. in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula (western Mediterranean).''Journal of Arid Environments'' 48(3), 323-39. and both species are used to produce a fiber product known as esparto or esparto grass.Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. 1992 onwards''Lygeum''. The Grass Genera of the World. DELTA – DEscription Language for TAxonomy. Version: 18 December 2012. Description ''Lygeum spartum'' is a rhizomatous hermaphroditic, perennial grass growing up to tall.Clayton, W. D., et al. (2006 onwards)''Lygeum''.GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora. The rhizome and the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Artemisia Herba-alba
''Artemisia herba-alba'', the white wormwood, is a perennial shrub in the genus '' Artemisia'' that grows commonly on the dry steppes of the Mediterranean regions in Northern Africa (Saharan Maghreb), Western Asia (Arabian Peninsula) and Southwestern Europe. It is used as an antiseptic and antispasmodic in herbal medicine. Names Its specific epithet ''herba-alba'' means "white herb" in Latin, as its stems and leaves are white and woolly. Similarly, it is ' or ' in French. In Arabic, it is ' (). And it is ' () in Old Testament Hebrew. "Wormwood" (in the Bible, Rev. 8:10–11). Botanical description ''Artemisia herba-alba'' is a chamaeophyte that grows to . Leaves are strongly aromatic and covered with fine glandular hairs that reflect sunlight giving a grayish aspect to the shrub. The leaves of sterile shoots are grey, petiolate, ovate to orbicular in outline; whereas, the leaves of flowering stems, more abundant in winter, are much smaller. The flowering heads are sess ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stipa Tenacissima
''Stipa tenacissima'' (esparto, esparto grass, halfah grass, alfa grass, or needle grass) is a perennial grass of northwestern Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Distribution ''Stipa tenacissima'' is an endemic species of the Western–Central Mediterranean countries. It grows in France (including Corsica), Spain (including the Baleares), Portugal, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It grows in dry, rocky and base rich soils, forming a steppe-like grassland. It has been managed by people for centuries. Uses ''Stipa tenacissima'' produces a fiber product called esparto which is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles as well as for making paper. See also *'' Lygeum spartum'', another species of grass also used as esparto Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa ten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The range's highest peak is Toubkal, which is in central Morocco, with an elevation of . The Atlas mountains are primarily inhabited by Berber populations. The terms for 'mountain' are ''Adrar'' and ''adras'' in some Berber languages, and these terms are believed to be cognates of the toponym ''Atlas''. The mountains are also home to a number of animals and plants which are mostly found within Africa but some of which can be found in Europe. Many of these species are endangered and a few are already extinct. The weather is cooling but has sunny summers, and the average temperature there is 25°C.Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
