Flora

Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav.

Common Name: Lehiat ettes.

Family: Asphodelaceae

Flowering Time: Jan-Mar.

General Appearance

Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav., it is an annual, herb, dark green herbaceous, with discoid rhizomatous stem and yellow fibrous roots. Leaves many, basal erect, c. 30 x0.5 cm. dark green in colour, tubular with tapering tip, surface papillose, papille in parallel rows along the veins. Scape 1-7 per plant c 50 x1 cm when mature, usually at different stages of growth, circular, hollow, glabrous, leafless (sometimes with leaves. c. 20 cm long), carrying a racemed panicle with many flowers, racemes bracteolate; bract triangular linear., membranous c. 1 cm long; pediccls, bracteolate, green, articulate at middle, c. 1 cm long, slightly inflated at top. Bracts membranous, (leafy, green when young) c. 0.5 cm long. Flowers small. Perianth campanulate to stellate. Tepals 6, free, lanceolate to linear-oblong, obtuse, white-pinkish with brownish nerve, the outer c.0.7 x 0.2 cm and inner c. 0.7 x 0.3 cm. Stamens 6, ± equal, shorter than tepals, filaments fusiform with flat concave bases covering the ovary. the entire filament papillate, papillae more distinct at base. Anthers orange, midefixed. Ovary green-brownish, hemispherical. Style slightly longer than stamens, c. 0.3 cm. stigma trilobed. each lobe terminated with a papillalte sphere. Capsule globose. Seeds brown to blackish. fusiform-triquetrate 0.3-0.4 cm long.

Life Form

Phytochoria

SS+SZ. The native range of this species is Macaronesia to Indian Subcontinent.

Distribution in Libya

Al-Jafarah Plain:

Sabratah 1967 Jaadida 1975 Wadi Al-Atal 1976 Benghashir, Tajoura 1978

Zliten-Misurata Plain:

Liptis Magna 1883 Misurata 2008 Zliten (Wadi EL-Zekr) 2022

Sirte Plains:

Sirte 2015, 2016

Benghazi Plain:

Zuetina 1934 Road between Benghazi and Al-Kuwayfyah 1968

Jabal Nafusa:

Abghilan 1970 Tarhuna (Sharshara) 1976 Msallata National Park (Shaafeen) 2013 Gharyan (Sedrores Mountains) 2020

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:

W.Derna 1970 Al-Oylia region 2017

Marmarica Plateau:

Reported in Marmarica north-eastern part of Libya by Pampanini 1930 Tobruk e Bardia Sidi Bu Amud 1933 Al-Tamimi 1968

Al-Qibla area:

Ben Ulid Wadi Ghirza, (170 km) S. of Beni Ulid 1960

Al-Jufra area:

(100 km) Hun to Sebha 1973

Notes

Wild in Libya.

Link of images: https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/asphodelaceae/asphodelus-tenuifolius https://flora.org.il/en/plants/ASPTEN/ https://www.orchid-nord.com/Flore-Djerba/Asphodelus%20tenuifolius/Asphodelus-tenuifolius.html

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:531576-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/531576-1, http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000637157, https://www.gbif.org/species/2778358, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/39547/asphodelus-tenuifolius-cav, https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.7377, https://www.teline.fr/en/photos/asphodelaceae/asphodelus-tenuifolius, https://flora.org.il/en/plants/ASPTEN/, https://www.orchid-nord.com/Flore-Djerba/Asphodelus%20tenuifolius/Asphodelus-tenuifolius.html, https://eol.org/pages/991207, https://www.floraofqatar.com/asphodelus_tenuifolius.htm, https://botany.cz/cs/asphodelus-tenuifolius/

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S. M. H. & El-Gadi, A. (1978) Flora of Libya, Liliaceae Vol. (57) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya.

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

El-Karnawdy, F.O.M. & Swaisy, A.S.M. (2022) Current status of floristic structure in Wadi EL-Zekr, Zliten City, Libya. Middle East International Conference on Contemporary Scientific Studies-VII-Beirut Arab University, Lebanon-March 3-4, 2022. https://www.middleeastconference.org/_files/ugd/614b1f_77fabd66c5054350a95423613bc913b6.pdf , https://www.middleeastconference.org/conference-books

El-Ahmir, S.M., Mahklouf, M.H., Shanta, M.B., Abo-Jaafer, H.A. (2020) Floristic Study of Sedrores Mountains in Gharyan District-Libya. J. of Advanced Botany and Zoology. Volume 8 / Issue 1. ISSN: 2348-7313. https://zenodo.org/records/3931997, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sh-Hoob-El-Ahmir, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Mahklouf

Alhasi, S.M, and El-Barasi, Y.M. (2017) The Weed Flora of some Crop Fields in Al-Oylia region, Al-Marj, Libya. Global Libyan Journal, ISSN 2518-5845. University of Benghazi, Faculty of Education Al marj. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338996118_The_Weed_Flora_Of_Some_Crop_Fields_In_Al-_Oylia_Region_Al-Marj_Libya https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Sabah-M-Al-Hasi-2170071476, https://journals.uob.edu.ly/GLJ/article/view/1202/921

Elsayed, N. (2016) Relationship between Vegetation and Soil Seed Bank at Protected Versus Unprotected Sites at Coastal Habitats in Libya.CATRINA (2016), 15 (1): 59-68. https://scholar.google.com.eg/citations?user=mSAskW0AAAAJ&hl=en , https://cat.journals.ekb.eg/article_18337_76652686b5c99f5fd479aebab87fbcb4.pdf

Elsayed M. A. N. (2015) Floristic Composition of the Plant Cover at Surt Region in Libya. Catrina (2015), 12 (1): 63-71-2010 By the Egyptian society for environmental SCIENCES. https://cat.journals.ekb.eg/article_18403_37c687e375b9144800a15704e68ebad7.pdf

Al-Masalati, N. A. A. (2013) Plant diversity across the altitudes of the Msallata National Park Reserve Mountains. Master Thesis. Botany Department-College of Science-University of Benghazi-Libya. (In Arabic).

Baayo, Kh. A. (2008): Floristic composition and Phytochorological Analysis of Misratah area, Libya, Assiut Univ.J. of Botany 37(2), P-P. 33-78 (2008)

PAMPANINI, R. (1931). Prodromo della Flora Cirenaica. – : 150 – under: Asphodelus tenuifolius var. micranthus Boiss. https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/14218-prodromo-della-flora-cirenaica