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Muscari baeticum, originating from western Europe, is here recorded as new from the central eastern part of Tunisia. So far, it was known only from Algeria and Morocco within the southern part of the Mediterranean basin. Description of the species as well as first data about its ecology in Tunisia together with geographical distribution and diagnostic features of closely related species are given. Photographic illustrations of the new reported taxon and an updated key to the Muscari species in North Africa are also provided.

A new species of Allium, A. elaounii sp. nov. seemingly endemic to Kroumirian mountains (Northwestern of Tunisia) is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to A. rouyi group and A. valdecallosum, from which it differs mainly by characters of stem, bulb, leaves, inflorescence, and seeds. Distribution in Tunisia, notes of its preferred habitat, phenology, and the IUCN status of conservation are also provided. A diagnostic key to species of the A. sect. Pseudoscorodon occurring in North Africa is also presented.

The very little-known Quercus ×numidica Trabut, recently typified and synonymised to Q. ×kabylica Trabut, was found within the Cynosuro peltierii-Quercetum afaredis Laribi ex El Mokni ass. nov. (Quercion suberis Loisel 1971). Both the taxon and the syntaxon are described here for the first time for the oak forests of Kroumiria in Tunisia. The distribution, ecology and field photographs of the new taxon are presented and IUCN Red List assessment is provided in this paper. Threats at the national level are assessed and conservation measures for the taxon are proposed.

An inventory of crop wild relatives (CWR) and wild harvested plants (WHP) occurring in Tunisia, based on the integration of the last available floristic checklists, is presented. The taxa were prioritised according to economic value of the related crop, potential for crop improvement, threat status, endemism, inclusion in the ITPGRFA (Annex I) and average annual contributions to dietary energy (kilocalories) per capita per day by applying a scoring system based on 4 priority levels. Of a total of 2912 taxa belonging to the Tunisian Flora, 2504 CWR and/or WHP (86% of the total), from 143 families and 686 genera, were identified, 2445 of which are CWR and 847 are WHP. In detail, 1654 are solely CWR and 59 are WHP only, whereas 788 are both CWR and WHP. The final priority list for active conservation includes 1036 CWR (43% of the total CWR taxa), with 139 taxa rated as high priority, 660 medium priority and 237 low priority. The final priority list for WHP is composed of 344 taxa and includes eight high priority, 254 medium priority and 82 low priority taxa. Our results confirm Tunisia as a hotspot of CWR and WHP diversity in the Mediterranean area. The inventory here proposed provides the basis for the development and implementation of a more targeted national CWR/WHP conservation strategy for Tunisia.

A taxonomic revision of the family Sapindaceae (order Sapindales) in Tunisia is presented. Field surveys were carried out during the last 10 years, allowing to identify 5 taxa of which 2 (Acer monspessulanum subsp. monspessulanum and A. monspessulanum subsp. martinii) are native, whereas the other 3 (A. negundo, Dodonaea viscosa, and Sapindus saponaria) are alien for the Tunisian flora. A. monspessulanum subsp. martinii, A. negundo, and Dodonaea viscosa are new records at national level, with Dodonaea representing a new genus for the Tunisian flora, whereas Sapindus saponaria is new for the whole North Africa. Information about nomenclature (accepted names, main synonyms, and types), morphology, chromosome number, chorology, occurrence in Tunisia, ecology (phenology and habitat), and taxonomic annotations are provided for each taxon, as well as original photos were prepared. Diagnostic keys at species and infraspecific ranks are also given.

Proboscidea louisianica (Miller) Thell. (Martyniaceae) is newly reported for the flora of Tunisia and North Africa as a naturalised alien. Extensive field investigations in northern Tunisia allowed the discovery of three populations of P. louisianica (Miller) Thell. consisting of 18 individuals found at the edges of “Oued Béja” and at roadside within an irrigated land in Nabeul region, where plant specimens were in flowers and fruits. Moreover, further sites were recorded for another member of the family Martyniaceae (Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt.), already reported and known in Tunisia and Algeria within North Africa. Additional information for both species on their current distribution areas and their habits are provided. Details of their morphological and distinguishing features are illustrated.

Five new alien taxa are here recorded from Tunisia. Reported taxa (Livistona chinensis, Phoenix canariensis, P. reclinata, P. theophrasti and Washingtonia robusta) belong to the subfamily Coryphoideae (Arecaceae). Updated nomenclature, brief descriptions, general and national distributions are provided for each species. Livistona chinensis and Phoenix theophrasti are here reported for the first time in North Africa. Identification keys are also provided.

Amaryllis belladonna L. is recorded for the first time as a naturalized non-native geophyte new to Tunisian and continental North African flora. Additional information on its current distribution and habitat, a brief morphological description, as well as some taxonomic notes, are provided.

As part of ongoing studies of Tunisian Malvaceae, a population of Phymosia umbellata was discovered in Monastir city. It represents the first generic record for the national and continental flora. Morphological characters, as well as ecological data are given. A list of all the accepted names in Phymosia, their synonyms and types is also provided, with nomenclatural notes about some accepted Phymosia species.

In this study, Thymus numidicus Poir. plant material was collected from two different locations in north-western Tunisia and the aerial parts essential oils (EOs) were extracted via hydro-distillat...

Medicinal and aromatic plants are garnering an increasing interest in industry, academia and health sciences. In passing from plant production to the bioactive product used by Human, many research studies are involved. The current research aimed to determine the chemical composition and to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of the essential oil extracted from the black psyllium (Plantago afra L.). The aerial parts essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation was analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and flame ionization detection (GC-FID), whereas the microdilution technique was developed to evaluate its antimicrobial efficacy. The main identified constituents were thymol (14.3%), 3-[4-(t-Butyl) phenyl] furan-2,5‑dione (12.7%), palmitic acid (8.9%) and eudesmane (4.7%). The antimicrobial activities were assessed against five standard bacterial strains: Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), Salmonella enterica (CIP 8039), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633) along with the yeast Candida albicans (ATCC 30031). The results demonstrated that the effective Plantago afra essential oil could be potentially utilised in controlling some phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria.

As part of an ongoing project for the investigation of the Algerian-Tunisian flora, six names of species of Caprifoliaceae subfam. Dipsacaceae, endemic to central and western North Africa, described in the 19th and 20th Centuries under the genus Scabiosa, are here lectotypified. They are: Scabiosa camelorum Cosson & Durieu, Scabiosa cartenniana Pons & Quézel, Scabiosa daucoides Desf., Scabiosa farinosa Cosson, Scabiosa parielii Maire, and Scabiosa robertii Barratte. Taxonomic notes, distributisson and new unpublished data about plant phenology of these taxa are given.

Essential oils possessing several therapeutic benefits are considered of a paramount importance in human life. They have been used since antiquity in flavour as condiments and in medicine as antimicrobial agents. Carrot is one of the main vegetables displaying numerous interesting nutritional and pharmacological benefits. The present study was undertaken to determine the interspecific chemical variability and evaluate the antibacterial effects of the essential oils from two Daucus carota subspecies; D. carota subsp. drepanensis (Lojac.) Heywood (EOCD) and D. carota subsp. hispidus (Ball) Heywood (EOCH) growing wildly in Tunisia. Analysis of both resulting essential oils using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) allowed to observe variations in contents of the main constituents. Thus, sixty-two volatiles representing respectively, 98.6% (EOCD) and 98.3% (EOCH) of the total essential oils were identified. Major constituents are (E)-methyl isoeugenol (58.7%) and elemicin (24.3%) for (EOCD) and α-cadinol (13.6%), premnaspirodiene (11.4%) and (E)-methyl isoeugenol (11.4%) for (EOCH). Both essential oils were individually tested against the pathogenic strains: Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 1408, Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. The inhibitory effect of D. carota subs. hispidus essential oils was detected over all the strains studied, the MIC ranged from 1.25 to 2.50 mg mL−1.

Echinophora spinosa L., a perennial member of the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family is known to be native to southern Europe and Algeria. More recently this taxon was collected from Tabarka (Jendouba-Kroumiria, North-Western of Tunisia) and is reported as a new species for the terrestrial flora of Tunisia. It is described and illustrated and notes on its ecology and phytosociological remarks are provided.

Cynosurus peltieri (Poaceae) is a very poorly known species only occurring in Algeria and Tunisia. A morphological description, together with its distribution and habitat, taxonomy, and IUCN Red List assessment are provided in the present paper. Photographic illustrations of the species comparing it with the similar Cynosurus polybracteatus, together with an updated diagnostic key to the Cynosurus species in North Africa, are also provided. In addition, the name is lectotypified on a specimen preserved at MPU, with isolectotypes preserved at P and BC.

L���extr��me Sud Tunisien est r��put�� par son acc��s difficile et tr��s r��glement��. Cela est expliqu�� d���une part du fait que c���est une zone militaire �� haute protection (vu qu���elle d��limite la fronti��re de la Tunisie avec celles de l���Alg��rie et de la Libye, ce qui rend les visites tr��s limit��s). Et d���autre part, par les conditions m��t��orologiques et g��ographiques s��v��res telles que : la forte aridit��, les temp��ratures infernales, la valeur tr��s ��lev��e des indices UV, le vent qui peut ��tre tr��s violant ainsi que les obstacles naturels comme les dunes du grand ergs oriental (qui peuvent d��passer les 250m en hauteur). Toutes ces conditions expliquent la raret�� des ��tudes scientifiques men��es dans ce point le plus m��ridionale de la Tunisie caract��ris�� par ses divers milieux naturels d��sertiques ainsi que sa faune et flore adapt��es aux conditions climatiques difficiles. En effet, 5 mission scientifiques pluridisciplinaires ont ��t�� men��e dans le sud de la Tunisie dont la derni��re date depuis 1986 (il y a 35 ans) voir tableau 1. Du fait que le prolongement Saharien couvrant environ les 2/3 de la superficie de la Tunisie demeure inexplor��, il nous a sembl�� indispensable d���organiser une nouvelle exp��dition scientifique et pluridisciplinaire dans le but d���explorer les divers habitats de cette r��gion, d���apporter de nouvelles donn��es sur la biodiversit�� de l���Extr��me Sud Tunisien ainsi de dresser un aper��u g��n��ral des diff��rents biotopes et leurs ��tats. Une ��quipe scientifique pluridisciplinaire constitu��e de 12 membres ainsi que 2 chauffeurs et 5 v��hicules 4X4 ont ��t�� mobilis��s pour cette mission afin de balayer le maximum des r��gions du d��sert Tunisien (voir tableau 2). Ainsi, plus de 1000 Km lors d���un s��jour du 14 mai au 21 mai 2021 ont ��t�� parcouru dans cette immense r��gion connue comme la plus aride du pays (voir figure 1). Cela a permis �� l�����quipe d�����voluer autour de divers milieux (dunaires, rocheux, humides, etc.) et de collecter le maximum de donn��es sur la faune et la flore de ces diff��rents endroits durant cette p��riode.

In the present study, volatile oils from Onopordum arenarium fresh flowers and stems were obtained by hydrodistillation and the non-polar aerial part hexane extract was prepared using a Soxhlet apparatus. The constituents of different organs were identified for the first time by gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. A total of 29 and 25 compounds were identified constituting over 91.6 and 89.2% of the whole constituents from flower and stem volatile oils, respectively. Both organs were constituted mainly of long-chain hydrocarbons (23.3–36.4%) followed by oxygenated long-chain hydrocarbons (31.5–33.8%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (14.4–6.6%). The major identified compound was palmitic acid [25.5% in O. arenarium flower essential oil (EO) and 28.7% in the stem EO]. Eighteen compounds representing 80.7% of the whole constituents were identified in the n-hexane extract, which was characterized by high amounts of triterpenoids (39.6%) and dominated by lupeol acetate (19.2%) and β-amyrin acetate (10.1%). Moreover, all extracts were evaluated for antioxidant potential using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical assay. The obtained results demonstrated that the EOs and the hexane extract could be a new source of natural potentially bioactive molecules.

The genus Linaria Miller (1754: 272) (Plantaginaceae) is the largest of tribe Antirrhineae, including ca. 150 species native to temperate regions of Europe, northern Africa, and Asia (Sáez et al. 2004, Mabberley 2008). The diversity centre of this genus is in the Mediterranean region (Sutton 1988), where 90 species occur (see e.g., Marhold 2011+). The flora of Tunisia includes 21 Linaria species and 10 subspecies, among which 6 taxa are endemic to the country (Pottier-Alapetite 1981, Le Floc’h et al. 2010, Marhold 2011+, Dobignard & Chatelain 2013, APD 2019). Tunisian endemics are still poorly known in terms of frequency, ecology and population dynamics, making difficult to assess their conservation status. Recently, the IUCN Global Red List 2018 (Valderrábano et al. 2018) assessed about 30 Tunisian taxa as Threatened (CR, EN, VU), Near Threatened (NT), and Data Deficient (DD). Among those listed in the latter category, there is Linaria cossonii Bonnet & Barratte (1896: 317), a usually annual herb up to 150 cm tall, growing within coastal sandy pine forests in the NE of Tunisia (CB & NE sensu Pottier Alapetite 1981). This species is rare and was scarcely seen after 1883, i.e. its date of first collection as derived from the protologue.

Some taxonomically critical and poorly known taxa from the order Caryophyllales are discussed. Both molecular and morphological data suggest that the chorologically distant populations of Tribuloca...

The census of the loci classici of the 98 vascular plants described from Tunisia, endemic to Tunisia or to Tunisia and the surrounding countries, is here presented and described. The effective place of publication of accepted names, basionyms, and homotypic synonyms were identified and critically verified. The geographic information on the loci classici was excerpted from the protologues, as well as information on typification for the taxa described before 1 January 1958. The names without holotype are 48. For 7 of them a lectotypification is already available in literature, 5 are lecotypified here, while 32 currently accepted taxa still need type designation. The new names Festuca scholziana Domina & El Mokni and Sixalix lehoueroui Domina & El Mokni are here proposed. For the names Linaria cossonii Bonnet & Barratte, L. doumetii Coss. ex Bonnet & Barratte, L. paradoxa Murb., Anarrhinum brevifolium Coss. & Kralik, and Onopordum espinae Coss. ex Bonnet (second step) lectotypes are designated here.

Amaranthus spinosus L. (Amaranthaceae s.l.), a species native to the Neotropics, has been found in four localities (Bizerta, Bir Bouregba, Hammamet, and Nabeul) of N. Tunisia. Our discovery represents the first record at national level, and the second one for N. Africa. Morphological characters and ecological data are given. Nomenclatural notes are provided for the name A. diacanthus, which was regarded by some authors as heterotypic synonym of A. spinosus. A neotype is designated in the present paper based on a specimen preserved at LSU.

Populations of Atriplex canescens var. gigantea were found in Lamta, Bouficha-Enfidha (central Tunisia), and Medenine (southern Tunisia). Literature data concerning the presence of this species in Tunisia are contradictory but now our data confirm its occurrence in the country. On the other hand, this variety is reported in the present paper for the first time both in Tunisia and in North Africa in general. Morphological characters and ecological data are presented, as well as notes about patterns of infraspecific variability of A. canescens. Nomenclatural notes on infraspecific names in A. canescens, as well as on the closely related species A. garrettii, are provided. The types of the names A. canescens var. laciniata, A. canescens var. macilenta, A. garrettii, Obione occidentalis var. angustifolia, and Pterochiton occidentale, that in earlier publications were erroneously considered to be holotypes, are in fact lectotypes (for most of taxa) under Art. 9.10 of the ICN. Isolectotypes were found at CAS (A. canescens var. laciniata and A. canescens var. macilenta), GH (A. canescens var. macilenta), and YU (Atriplex nuttallii).

The essential oil obtained from Dysphania ambrosioides, a fragrant plant growing wildly in Tunisia, was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC-MS and GC-FID techniques. Forty-four com...

We present a second short list of already identifi ed lichens collected during OPTIMAITER to Tunisia in 2014. The lichens were collected in 20 sampling sites in the northern part of the country. We report on ecological and distributional data related to 45 taxa, 11 of them were not included in the published checklist of lichens of Tunisia and further papers related to the diversity of lichens of Tunisia (Calicium glaucellum, Catapyrenium daedaleum, C. psoromoides, Gyalecta jenensis, Haematomma ochroleucum, Lecania sylvestris, Lecanora argentata, Parmotrema stuppeum, Physcia phaea, Ramalina subgeniculata, and Rinodina pyrina).

Recent fieldwork in Tunisia yielded several new records of non-native species of the genus Agave. Agave angustifolia var. marginata, A. fourcroydes and A. sisalana are locally naturalised and reported for the first time from the country. To our knowledge, naturalised populations of these three taxa were also unknown elsewhere in the Maghreb and North Africa. We also draw attention to A. attenuata subsp. attenuata, a widely grown ornamental that is expected to become naturalised in the near future. Updated nomenclature, brief descriptions, as well as general and national distributions are provided for each of the naturalised Agaves. A key to all the species, subspecies, and varieties of Agave that occur in Tunisia is presented, and all the taxa are illustrated.

Actuellement, plusieurs projets mondiaux en cours visent à retrouver les matériaux à l'origine de description des plantes vasculaires et à identifier, parmi eux, les types d'onomatophores, les éléments auxquels les noms de taxons sont attachés de manière permanente. La Tunisie est dotée de bonnes connaissances floristiques, bien qu’elle n’héberge qu’un seul herbier reconnu internationalement. Ainsi, presque toutes les collections sur lesquelles sont basées les descriptions des nouveaux taxons sont hébergées dans des pays étrangers. Les types de nomenclature de la plupart des taxons tunisiens sont encore inconnus, même pour les endémiques ce qui rend parfois la recherche scientifique inutile, car il manque une identification taxonomique correcte et une utilisation judicieuse des noms. Une application erronée des noms de plantes dans la vie quotidienne peut avoir des conséquences graves pour l'économie et la santé humaine. Le but de cette contribution est de présenter une liste actualisée des taxons endémiques de Tunisie et des unités géographiques les plus proches (Algérie, Libye et Sicile) pouvant servir de base à la recherche et à la désignation de types nomenclaturaux. Elle comprend 207 taxons spécifiques et infraspécifiques dont 74 sont des endémiques stricts exclusivement en Tunisie, 102 partagés avec l'Algérie, 10 avec la Libye, 3 seulement avec la Sicile et 18 avec deux de ses territoires voisins. Environ la moitié des espèces endémiques strictes sont des taxons décrits au cours des 30 dernières années. Cela témoigne de la richesse de la flore tunisienne qui doit encore être mieux étudiée. Les espèces endémiques partagées avec l'Algérie sont principalement liées aux zones internes de Kroumirie, tandis que les espèces partagées avec la Libye sont principalement liées aux zones sablonneuses situées près de la côte. Les descriptions historiques de nouveaux taxons ne sont pas toujours accompagnées de l'indication d'un spécimen de référence (holotype) et d'une localité typique (Locus classicus). Parfois, plusieurs sites sont rapportés dans le protologue. Le Code International de Nomenclature (art. 40.1) prévoit que, à compter du 1er janvier 1958, le nom d'un nouveau taxon de rang inférieur ou égal au genre n'est valablement publié que lorsque son type (holotype) est indiqué. Pour les noms publiés au début, un type (lectotype) peut être sélectionné parmi les matériaux d'origine utilisés pour décrire le nouveau taxon ou un nouveau matériel peut être sélectionné (néotype) si aucun matériau d'origine n'a été trouvé. Sur les 74 noms identifiés pour la Tunisie, 42 ont déjà indiqué un holotype dans leur protologue, pour 5 un lectotype est déjà désigné alors que pour 27 il reste à être désigné

Chemical analysis of the aerial parts obtained from a Tunisian specimen of Daucus carota yielded to the isolation of six undescribed polyoxygenated germacranes and one elemanolide, along with one known metabolite. The stereostructures of the undescribed compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS analysis. Due to their structural similarity with the Plasmodium transmission-blocking agent daucovirgolide G, the isolated metabolites were evaluated for their inhibitory activity on the development of Plasmodium early sporogonic stages. Three compounds proved to inhibit ookinete formation showing a good transmission blocking efficacy, but the low potency exhibited by these compounds when compared to daucovirgolide G further supports the observation that strict structural requirements do exist for the antimalarial activity of germacranolides.

In this study

International audience; Vascular plants new or rare for Tunisia occurring on the islands (Galite, Zembra, Kuriat, Monastir, Kerkennah, Kneiss, Djerba).-This study concerns the indigenous vascular plants newly reported for Tunisia and discovered on the islands during some field trips performed since 2014. Five native taxa are new to Tunisia: Bellis perennis, Carthamus creticus, Moraea mediterranea, Asplenium balearicum and Galium minutulum, the latter two also being new to North Africa. Information on 24 rare or poorly known taxa, most often of great biogeographical interest, is given, too. Most of these were discovered on the islands of the eastern coast (Kuriat, Monastir, Kerkennah, Kneiss, Djerba), but also on the northern islands of Zembra and La Galite. The new chorological data underline the first-rate conservation importance of these islands and islets for the preservation of the overall coastal biodiversity of Tunisia.