Floristic Analysis of Marmoucha's Plant Diversity (Middle Atlas, Morocco)
LAZAROA 34: 117-140. 2013 doi: 10.5209/rev_LAZA.2013.v34.n1.40753 ISSN: 0210-9778 Floristic analysis of Marmoucha’s plant diversity (Middle Atlas, Morocco) Fatima Nassif & Abbès Tanji (*) Abstract: Nassif, F. & Tanji, A. Floristic analysis of Marmoucha’s plant diversity (Middle Atlas, Morocco). Lazaroa 34: 117-140 (2013). As part of an ethnobotanical exploration among the Berbers of Marmoucha in the Middle Atlas in Morocco, a floristic analysis was conducted to inventory the existing plants and assess the extent of plant diversity in this area. Located in the eastern part of the Middle Atlas, the Marmoucha is characterized by the presence of various ecosystems ranging from oak and juniper forests to high altitude steppes typical from cold areas with thorny plants. The fieldwork was conducted over five years (2008-2012) using surveys and informal techniques. The results show that the number of species recorded in Marmoucha is 508 distributed over 83 families and 325 genera, representing 13%, 54% and 33% of species, families and genera at the national level, respectively. With 92 species, the Asteraceae is the richest family, representing 18% of the total reported followed by Poaceae and the Fabaceae . From a comparative perspective, the ranking of the eight richer families of the local flora in relation to their position in the national flora reveals a significant match between the positions at local and national levels with slight ranking differences except in the case of Rosaceae. In the study area, the number of endemics is significant. It amounts to 43 species and subspecies belonging to 14 families with the Asteraceae counting 10 endemics.
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