Flora

Anastatica hierochuntica L.

Common Name: Kif meriam.

Family: Brassicaceae

Flowering Time: Mar-Apr.

General Appearance

Anastatica hierochuntica L., it is an annual herb, up to 10 cm long in fruit, branched from the base with usually ascending branches, often rolled inwards under dry conditions, densely pubescent with stellate hairs. Leaves 10-20 mm long, 5-10 mm broad, spathulate, shallowly 3-5-lobed towards the apex or entire; stalk shorter than the blade, lower stalked, upper sub sessile to sessile, most of them falling after flowering. Flowers c. 2 mm across, white, axillary, sub sessile. Sepals c. 1.5 mm long. Petals c. 2 mm long. Stamens c. 1.5-1.7 mm long. Siliculae ovoid-globse, c. 4 mm in diameter with about equally long stylar beak; lateral appendages c. 2 mm in diam. and somewhat cup-shaped. Seed c. 1.5 mm long, ovoid.

Life Form

Phytochoria

SS. The native range of this species is Canary Islands (Fuertaventura), Sahara to Iraq and Arabian Peninsula, S. Iran to SW.

Distribution in Libya

Al-Qibla area: Wadi Nesma region 2009

Ghadames area: Reported from Ghadames by Durand & Barrate

Al-Kufra area: Reported from Al-Kufra by Durand & Barrate

Ghat area: Reported from Ghat, by Durand & Barrate

Jabal Al-Uwinat: Gebel Uweinat 1968

Notes

Wild in Libya, a sand species, spread is limited on alluvial soils in depressions in gravel plains, often uprooted and blown about over the sands like a ball.

Link of images: https://www.floraofqatar.com/anastatica_hierochuntica.htm, https://www.gbif.org/species/3041976, https://flora.org.il/en/plants/anahie/

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:277878-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/277878-1, https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000533427, https://www.gbif.org/species/3041976, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/78103/anastatica-hierochuntica-l, https://www.ksanature.com/plants/anastatica_hierochuntica/, https://www.monaconatureencyclopedia.com/anastatica-hierochuntica/?lang=en, https://flora.org.il/en/plants/anahie/, https://www.floraofqatar.com/anastatica_hierochuntica.htm, https://almerja.com/reading.php?idm=144256, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-34438-w

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Ali, S.I. & Jafri, S.M.H. (1977) Flora of Libya, Brassicaceae Vol. (23) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. Page. 119.

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

Bahri, N.M. (2009) Study of the vegetation covers of Wadi Nesma region, northwest of Libya. Master Thesis, Department of Botany, College of Science, Sebha University, Libya. (In Arabic).