Flora

Bassia arabica (Boiss.) Maire & Weiller

Family: Amaranthaceae

Flowering Time: Mar-Jun

General Appearance

Bassia arabica (Boiss.) Maire & Weiller / Homotypic Synonyms: Chenolea arabica Boiss., it is a dwarf. prostrate or ascending shrub, up to 10-30 (-40) cm long. woolly-canescent, with stems woody at base and numerous soft branches. Leaves sessile, alternate, 5-10 x 1-2 mm. linear-oblong to oblong, entire, obtuse, puberulent. Flower dusters forming dense, leafy, (2-) 5-10 cm long spikes. Flowers 2-sexual; perianth segments 5, hemispherical, obtuse, sub glabrous, c. 3 mm long, woolly. Utricle c. 3 mm in diam., included within the unchanged dosed perianth; style divided into 2, filiform stigmas.

Life Form

Phytochoria

SA. The native range of this species is E. Medit. to Arabian Peninsula.

Distribution in Libya

Sirte Plains:

Wadi Faregh Maaten Giofer sud di el-Agheila, el Gtafia a sud di 1933, 1934 Wadi Faregh ad al Hasciat 1934

Benghazi Plain:

Agdabia 1934 Between Slouk and Al-Abiar 2016

Marmarica Plateau:

Reported from Bardia by Durand & Barratte, Reported from Tobruk and Aljughbub by Maeir oasi di Garabub 1926 Tobruk 1918 Reported in Marmarica north-eastern part of Libya by Pampanini 1930 Wadi es-Sahel tra Tobruk e Bardia 1933

Ghat area:

Ghat (Between Acacus and Tassili Mountains) 2004

Notes

Wild in Libya, a desert species.

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:164313-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/164313-1, https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000561073, https://www.gbif.org/species/5568430, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/131533/bassia-arabica-boiss-maire-weiller, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=267509, http://www.africanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=78&id=8665, https://www.ksanature.com/plants/bassia_arabica/, https://flora.org.il/en/plants/BASARA/, http://www.flowersinisrael.com/Chenoleaarabica_page.htm#google_vignette

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S. M. H. & El-Gadi, A. (1978) Flora of Libya, Chenopodiaceae Vol. (58) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya.

Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses, Sorted by Newest:

Saaed, M.W.B., EL-Barasi, Y.M. & Rahil, R.O. (2021) An updated checklist and quantitative analysis of the Marmarica Plateau flora, in the north-eastern part of Libya. Phytotaxa 509 (1): 001-055. https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.509.1.1

Raheel, O. M., El-Borasi, Y. M., El-Barrani, M. W., El-Hassi, S. (2016) Study of Flora and vegetation cover of the semi-desert area between Salouq and Al-Abyar-the first high of Jabal Al-Akhdar-Libya, Fourth Scientific Conference for Environment and Sustainable Development In dry and semi-arid areas. Ajdabia. Libya. (In Arabic) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebeh-Rahil

Ahmidat, Gh. (2004) Study of the vegetation cover of the area between the Acacus Mountains and the Tassili Mountains (Ghat). Master Thesis. Department of Botany.College of Science. Sebha University. Libya. (In Arabic)