Rédaction Africa Links 24 with satarbf
Published on 2024-03-16 20:24:08
Barleria prionitis, or the Barleria plant, was rediscovered in southern Israel by Dr. Uri Pargaman-Saphir, the scientific director of the botanical garden, working in partnership with KKL-JNF.
The plant had disappeared from Tunisia, Ghar El Meleh, where it was last seen over 15 years ago, and was considered extinct. Its medicinal potential is considered promising, especially for treatment of hypertension.
The plant, found in the south of Eilat, follows efforts to create a backup population of this nearly extinct plant.
Barleria is native to many regions of the world, including Northeast Africa.
The plant had not been seen since 2013. Fortunately, two live plants were found at the site where the last seen plant was discovered.
With flower buds, the plants were located in a canal above the Snuba diving club in southern Eilat, near the border with Egypt at the Taba crossing.
Fate of the previous plants
This site once housed five plants, with the last one drying up and dying. The two new plants recently found were grown from a seed bank that was in the soil.
Today, the plants bear dried fruits from previous years, indicating to scientists that the plants are at least two years old.
The Barleria plant is expected to enter its flowering season in the next two to three weeks, usually towards the end of March or the end of April.
Later in the season, the plant seeds will be collected in the botanical garden, and efforts are planned to cultivate them to create a backup population of this rare plant. KKL-JNF will collaborate with these scientists with the aim of multiplying endangered plants in botanical gardens, using the organization’s comprehensive information on other rare and nearly extinct plants.
Source: The Jerusalem Post, March 16, 2024
Read the original article(French) on Tunisie Focus
