Cressa cretica L.

Family: Convolvulaceae

General Appearance

Cressa cretica L., it is a perennial, usually spreading herb, much branched and somewhat woody below; branchlets slender, with long patent intermixed with short retrorse grey hairs, very leafy, up to 5 cm long. Leaves small, sessile, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-5.5 x 1-5.5 mm, acute cuneate, rounded or sometimes sub cordate at the base, grey-green, sericeous, spike-like clusters, up to 1.5·2 cm long. Calyx as long as the corolla tube, pubescent. Corolla tube 4-5 mm long, lobes oblong-ovate, as long as the tube. Style and stamens exserted 2.5-3.5 mm from tube; anthers 0.5 mm long. Capsule ovoid, 3-3.5 mm long, I-seeded, 2-valved; seeds oblong-ovoid, 2 x 1 mm, dark brown or almost black.

Life Form

H

Phytochoria

MED+SA+SZ+IT. The native range of this species is Medit. to Africa, W. & Central Asia to Indian Subcontinent.

Distribution in Libya

Al-Jafarah Plain:  Sabrata 2008

Zliten-Misurata Plain:  Kaam area 2005

Sirte Plains: Sirte 2015, 2016

Benghazi Plain:  Benghazi, common sandy saline wet ground.  1975

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:  El-Hamamah to Biada 2003 Valley Jarjr-oma 2013 Wadi Jarjar-Omma 2017

Marmarica Plateau:  Reported in Marmarica north-eastern part of Libya by Pampanini 1930 Marmarica (north-eastern part of Libya) 2002

Al-Kufra area:  El-Gof, Al-Kufra Oasis, common in sand between fields 1968

Ghat area:  Ghat (Between Acacus and Tassili Mountains) 2004  Wadi Tanezzuft 2012

Jabal Al-Uwinat:  Gebel Uweinat 1968

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S.M.H. & El-Gadi, A. (1977) Flora of Libya, Convolvulaceae Vol. (45) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. Page. 2.

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

An-updated-checklist-and-quantitative-analysis-of-the-Marmarica-Plateau-flora-مضغوط

Mukassabi, T.A., Thomas, P.A., ELMogasapi, A. (2017) Medicinal plants in Cyrenaica, Libya: existence and extinction. Biological Diversity and Conservation – 10/2 (2017) 183-192. https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/4064/

Medicinal plants in Cyrenaica, Libya 2017

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

Vegetation and Soil Seed Bank at Protected Versus Unprotected Sites at Coastal Habitats in Libya. 2016

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

Floristic Composition of the Plant Cover at Surt Region in Libya. 2015

Abusaief, H. M. A. (2013) Life forms and rangeland for many habitats of Jarjar oma in Al-Jabal Al- Akhdar on Mediterranean Sea. Journal of American Science 2013;9(5) http://www.jofamericanscience.org/journals/am-sci/am0905/029_17747am0905_236_249.pdf

Life forms and rangeland for many habitats of Jarjar oma in Al- Jabal Al- Akhdar. 2013

Mukassabi, T.A, Ahmidat, G., Sherif, I.M., ELMogasapi, A. (2012) Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. Biological Diversity and Conservation – 5 / 3 (2012) https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/biodicon/issue/55888/765799, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259357995_Checklist_and_life_forms_of_plant_species_in_contrasting_climatic_zones_of_Libya

Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya. 2012

El-Yafour, L. A. (2008) Taxonomic study of the vegetation properties of Sabratha city Master Thesis. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Al-Zawiya University, Libya. (In Arabic).

Al-Shif, N. S. (2005) a taxonomic study of the plants of the Kaam region. Master Thesis, College of Science, Al-Marqab University, Al-Khums, Libya. (In Arabic).

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).

Al-Sodany, Y. M., Shehata, M. N. & Shaltout, K. H. (2003): Vegetation along an elevation gradient in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya. ecologia mediterranea, tome 29, fascicule 2, 2003, p. 125-138. https://www.persee.fr/doc/ecmed_0153-8756_2003_num_29_2_1547https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yassin-Al-Sodany, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kamal-Shaltout

Vegetation along an elevation gradient in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya. 2003

El-Shaary M.S. (2002). The Natural Vegetation in Marmarica plateau (North-eastern Libya). First ed. Tobruk (Libya): Published by the local Authority. (In Arabic).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *