Flora

Echinops cyrenaicus E.A.Durand & Barratte

Family: Asteraceae

General Appearance

Echinops cyrenaicus E.A.Durand & Barratte , it is a perennial plant. Stems erect, branched, furrowed, cobwebby greyish mixed with long, flexuous, glandular, brownish hairs. Leaves rigid, broadly lanceolate to oblong in outline, pinnatifid, arachnoid and becoming greenish above, without glandular hairs, densely greyish tomentose beneath mixed with few glandular hairs on the mid-nerve only; mid nerve not or weakly prominent; margin spinulose, not revolute; segments triangular, with 1-2 pairs of lateral spines and a terminal spine; spines up to 8 mm, yellowish; nerve in the segment conspicuous beneath and contiguous with the apical spine. Pseudo-capitulum 4-6 (-7) cm in diam. (excl. spines), bluish, with few, pale-green or yellowish spines. Capitulum fairly large, shortly stipitate, some fertile and rest sterile in a pseudo-capitulum; stipe 2-5 mm, brownish, angular. Involucre 20-60 mm include the length of the spine; outer setae 10-15 mm, equalling or longer than the outermost involucral bracts. Involucral bracts 15. Outermost involucral bracts 6.5-7 x 0.5 mm, linear-spathulate, glabrous except near the apex at the back bearded, sharply mucronate, margin entire to minutely serrate near the apex. InvolucraI bract of the 2nd row 7-9 x 1.25 mm, linear-spathulate to broadly oblanceolate, proximally scarious with distinct midrib on the under surface, distally coriaceous. glabrous except near the apex at the back bearded, sharply mucronate, margin minutely serrate near the apex. Involucral bracts of the 3rd row 10-12 x 2-2.5 mm, broadly lanceolate, coriaceous, gradually tapered above into a spine, margin in half minutely serrate; with few, long, curly hairs at the back in the distal half, rest minutely papilliate. Involucral bracts of the 4th row 14-18 x 2.5 mm, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acuminate-coriaceous in the distal half, abaxial face minutely papillate, margins minutely serrulate. Inner involucral bracts conoate in the proximal half,14-16 x1-1.25 mm, oblong, glabrous, apex lacinate-mucronulate. Corolla 15-16 mm; basal tube up to 7 mm, glandular hair; limb 5-Iobed almost up to the base. Cypsela 8-10 mm, covered with bright yellow hairs; pappus of fimbriate, basally connate setae.

Life Form

Phytochoria

Endemic. The native range of this species is Libya.

Distribution in Libya

Benghazi Plain:

Between Slouk and Al-Abiar 2016

Al-Jabal Al-Akhder:

Wadi Derna 1887 (2 km) W. of Al-Baida, (10 km) from Al-Baida to Derna 1977 Wadi Al-Agar 1999 El-Bakur 2007 Gebel Akhder 2009 Wadi El-Kouf 2014 Gebel Akhder 2015 Wadi Al-Agar 2017 Shahat old city 2017 Al-Abiar (Sidi Amohamed forest) 2020

Marmarica Plateau:

Marmarica (north-eastern part of Libya) 2002

Notes

Wild in Libya, endemic to Cyrenaica.

For more information

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77181006-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/77181006-1, http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000033993, https://www.gbif.org/species/5697532, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/137390/echinops-cyrenaicus-e-a-durand-barratte

Bibliographic References

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S. M. H. & El-Gadi, A. (1983) Flora of Libya, Asteraceae Vol. (107) 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

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

Al-Amrouni, M, M., Al-Zarbi, A., Al-Aeb, M. A. (2020) Study of vegetation cover in Sidi Amohamed forest north of the city of Al-Abyar in the Al-Jabal Al-Al-Akhdar. Libya. Journal of Quality Assurance for Scientific Research-The first issue-April-2020 (In Arabic). https://lqac.org.ly/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/PDF-1.pdf, https://independent.academia.edu/ABDULHAMIDALZERBI

دراسة الغطاء النباتي بغابة سيدي امحمد شمال مدينة الابياربالجبل الاخضر.2020

Al-Aib, M.A., El- Sherif, M., Al-Hamedi, R.I. (2017) Floristic and ecological investigation of Wadi Al-Agar in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya, Science & its applications 5:1 (2017) 57-61. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohamed-Alaib

Floristic and ecological investigation of Wadi Al-Agar in Al-Jabal Al- Akhdar. 2017-مضغوط

Abusaief, H. M. A. (2017) Similarities between elevations in a rare species of some locations at Al- Jabal Al-Akhdar in Libya. International Journal of Environment ISSN 2077-4505.Volume: 06 Issue: 03 July-Sept. 2017, Page: 78-102. http://www.curresweb.com/ije/ije/2017/78-102.pdf

Raheel, RO. 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/Yacoub-El-Barasi , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebeh-Rahil

دراسة الفلورا والغطاء النباتي للمنطقة الشبه صحراوية الممتدة بين مدينتي سلوق والابيار . 2016

Essokne, R.S. & Jury, S.L. (2015) Report on a visit to Gebel Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya). Fl. Medit. 25: 79-85-doi: 10.7320/FlMedit25.079-Version of Record published online on 30 December 2015. http://www.herbmedit.org/flora/FL25_079-086.pdf

Report on a visit to Jebel Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya) 2015

El-Mokasabi, F M. (2014) Floristic Composition and Traditional Uses of Plant Species at Wadi Al-kuf, Al-Jabal Al-Akhder, Libya. American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 14 (8): 685-697, 2014, ISSN 1818-769,IDOSIPublications,2014DOI:10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2014.14.08.12375. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/441b/23b83960f007044aca94e26f5c6b170fe102.pdf

Plant Species at Wadi Alkuf, Al-Jabal Al-Akhder, Libya 2014

El-Darier, S.M. & El-Mogaspi, F.M. (2009) Ethno botany and Relative Importance of Some Endemic Plant Species at El-Jabal El-Akhdar Region (Libya). World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 5 (3): 353-360, 2009 ISSN 1817-3047, IDOSI Publications, 2009. http://www.idosi.org/wjas/wjas5(3)/16.pdf

Abd Al-lkhaleq, Y. M. (2007) Vegetation Coverage of El-Bakur Highlands in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar. Master Thesis, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Garyounis University, Libya. (In Arabic).

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).

Al-Hamadi R.I. (1999) Floristic and ecological study of wadi Al-Agar, Master Thesis, Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Botany Department-Faculty of Science-Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya. (In Arabic).

MAIRE, R. & M. WEILLER (1939). Contributions à l’étude de la flore de l’Afrique du Nord. Fascicule 27 – Contributions à l’étude de la Flore de la Libye – 30: 284 – under: Echinops cyrenaicus var. bereniceus Maire https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/viewer/15283/?offset=#page=271&viewer=picture&o=bookmark&n=0&q