Morrocan Plants & Flowers

Morrocan Plants & Flowers

Part of Morocco is in the Sahara Desert.

Important Trees

Maquis

Garrigue

Atlas Flora

Desert Flora

Attractive Flowers
Endemic Plants
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The country of Morocco provides a variety of habitats for plant life, from the Alpine region of the lofty Atlas Mountains to the arid Sahara Desert. Its flora ranges from common weeds to endangered endemics. Some plant species bear beautiful flowers. Others, like the egusi melon, bear edible fruits. Does this Spark an idea?

1. • The flora of Morocco includes trees that tolerate the relatively light rainfall that characterizes Mediterranean climate. In northern Morocco a tree called Berber thuya flourishes in coastal areas and low hilly regions. A small cork oak forest thrives in northwestern Morocco. Other Moroccan trees are the cypress, juniper and the holm oak. Even the cedar of Lebanon rears its noble head in Morocco.
   • A maquis is a dense bushy area. In Morocco a maquis contains small trees like the wild olives, acacia, and carob. Many are evergreens, like the mastic bush or the sarsaparilla vine. A fan palm called Chamaerops humilis also occurs, but as its name implies, it does not grow very tall.
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   • Northern Morocco also contains another type of region called a garrigue. A garrigue plays host to scrubby plants like sage and French lavender, as well as species with beautiful flowers, such as, the rockrose. Here and elsewhere in Morocco you will also find a native grass called "esparto grass."
   • Onobrychis cornuta, an attractive plant with violet flowers, occurs in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. This plant is a member of the pea family, as is the medicinal Astralagus, which dwells in the same general area. Higher up the slope another member of the pea family called Vicia canescens finds its ecological niche. The Atlas Mountains also plays host to Chenopodium album, which American farmers know by the name "lamb's quarters."
   • As you travel southward in Morocco, the climate becomes increasingly more arid until you reach the Sahara Desert in the southwest. The cactus is not native to the Sahara, but Moroccans cultivate it commercially. Instead of cacti Morocco has succulent euphorbias that grow as big as trees. Cistanche violacea, a parasitic desert plant, has very beautiful flowers. The saltbush and sagebrush are two plants that occur both in Morocco and in arid regions of the United States.
   • Moroccan flora includes colorful orchids of the genera Ophrys and Dactylorhiza. Silene vespertina, an attractive member of the pink family, is the Moroccan catchfly. Other colorful flowers are irises, alyssums, and Isatis tinctoria, commonly called the woad.
   • Many endemic plants reside in Morocco. A plant is endemic if its range is restricted to a single circumscribed area. The argan is a thorny endemic tree that lives in the arid south while Ptilostemon leptophyllus is a composite that resides in the north. The Atlas Mountains are especially rich in endemics

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Native Plants & Animals of Morocco

Native Plants & Animals of Morocco
   

Despite the harsh desert climate, Morocco boasts hundreds of species of plants and animals.
The geographical terrain of Morocco is one of the most grueling in the world during the heat of the day as it is mostly desert. Despite this, Morocco is home to many species of plants and animals. The majority of these plants and animals have adapted to the terrain and have become excellent at utilizing what little water is available to them.
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Morrocan Plants & FlowersPlant Life in Morocco

Native Plants
Morocco is home to a variety of plant species. Its geographical location and unusual desert and mountain terrain give rise to many different types of flora. There is an estimated 4,979 different types of plant taxa in Morocco. Nine major families that include more than 100 species each make up 60 percent of Morocco's flora. The genus Silene is the most diverse Moroccan flora---containing more than 69 species. Other important Moroccan families include Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Caryophyllaceae.

Land Mammals
Morocco has an estimated 105 species of land mammals, and close to 18 are considered endangered. One of the most common mammals is the dorcas gazelle, the smallest gazelle that exists. This particular breed has long, curved horns on both the males and females and very long legs. They tend to feed on Acacia leaves and are very active in the evening and morning, due to the heat of the Moroccan desert. They rarely drink water and absorb the water from plants they eat.

The Sloughi, a species of dog, is one of the most interesting Moroccan animals. Sloughis are often domesticated and are used for hunting. They appear very similar in appearance to greyhounds and are also very fast.

Birds
Although the desert heat can be hard on many animals, Morocco boasts more than 454 species of birds, nearly all of them native to the country. The most common types of birds include pheasants, pigeons, doves, woodpeckers, and partridges. Other types of birds that occupy the coast include pelicans, gulls, and boobies. Ducks, swans, storks, flamingos, and even ostriches are native to Morocco as well.



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Best of Morocco Tours

Best of Morocco Tours
The Mediterranean climate of the North African Kingdom of Morocco combines the warmth of the desert with the cool breezes of its coastal areas. Morocco's unique mountainous ranges and forest landscapes are home to thousands of different plant species, many of which are unique to the Mediterranean area. Beyond their beauty, many native plants in Morocco are edible, used for medicine or produce materials for traditional crafts.

White Goosefoot
White goosefoot (Chenopodium album L.) grows in the high altitude areas in Morocco and throughout Africa. An annual flowering plant that grows more than 1 meter tall, the young plants and its leaves are boiled and eaten as vegetables. Its seeds are dried and ground into flour for bread-making or boiled to make hot cereal. Other names include lamb's quarters and pigweed.

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Egusi Melon
The egusi melon (Citrullus lanatus) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family--the same family of all the melons, squashes and gourds. Egusi melon grows in Morocco and throughout west, central, east and South Africa. The fruit ranges from bitter to sweet in taste and the seeds are roasted and eaten as a snack, brewed as a coffee substitute, ground into a thickening powder or pressed for its oil. Egusi melon is also called West African watermelon, egusi watermelon and desert watermelon.

Crambe
An annual herb that grows more than 1 meter in height and produces many fine branches, Crambe (Crambe hispanica) naturally grows in Morocco, throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Its main cultivation is for the harvesting of its seed oil used in industrial lubricants and products, as stated by Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA). The leaves are consumable, and its seeds have topical medicinal properties. Its other common names include colewort, Abyssinian mustard and Abyssinian kale.

Esparto Grass
Esparto grass (Macrochloa tenacissima) grows in Morocco and the Mediterranean area and its fibers are harvested to make paper, ropes and baskets. One of Morocco's famous cultural expressions is seen through their art of basket weaving. As stated by the USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network, some of its common names include halfa, alfa and flechilha.

Bay Laurel
This is the tree that yields the flavorful bay leaves used in culinary dishes. Native to Morocco and the Mediterranean, the aromatic evergreen Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) grows to a towering 40 feet tall. Its leaves in dried or fresh form are used as spice, tea, for natural medicinal remedies, and its essential oil is used in soap-making and as an insect repellent. Bay Laurel is also called laurel, sweet bay and bay.





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