The Woollyleaf Bur Ragweed (Ambrosia grayi) – a new species of Ambrosia in Israel
Yifat Yair, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovoth. yairy2006@gmail.co.il
Omer Kapiloto, The Unit for Herb Research, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization at the Volcani Center, Head of the Team for Dealing With Invasive Species, The Environmental Unit, Scientific Section, the Nature and Parks Authority, Environment Protection. omerki4@gmail.com
Tuvia Yaacoby, Researcher and advisor on weeds, Nes Tov Agricultural Advisors Ltd. tuvia.yaacoby@mail.huji.ac,il
Baruch Rubin, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovoth. rubin@agri.huji.ac.il
Hanan Eizenberg, The Unit for Herb Reserach, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, The Agricultural Research Organization at the Volcani Center. eizenber@volcani.agri.gov.il
Jean-Marc Dufour-Dror, Ecologist, expert on invasive plants, advisor and independent researcher. jmdd@netvision.net.il
Keywords: wind pollination, Asteraceae, invasive species, prickly fruit, unisexual flower, flora of Israel, alien plants, monoecious plants, rhizomes
The Wollyleaf Bur Ragweed (Ambrosia grayi) joins the four species of Ambrosia that grow in Israel: the Weakleaf Bur Ragweed (Ambrosia confertiflora), the Slimleaf Bur Ragweed (Ambrosia tenuifolia), the Perennial Ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya), and the Annual Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisifolia). Recently an extended focus of the Woolyleaf Bur Ragweed was located in a vineyard, a peach plantation, and a cultivated field attached to the Meir Shfeya Agricultural School, between Zichron Yaacov and Fureidis. This perennial species of Ambrosia is alien to the local flora and was documented for the first time in the country, and demonstrates a invasive pattern of spreading in agricultural areas of various sorts.
The Palestine Garlic, Allium palaestinum a re-described species
Ori Fragman-Sapir, Scientific Director of the University Botanical Garden, Jerusalem. fragman@botanic.co.il
Keywords: prototype, bulb, differentiation, Amaryllidaceae, Allium neapolitanum section, cladogram. Allium, Allium trifoliatum,
The Palestine Garlic (Allium palaestinum) was legally redescribed for science. The new description is based on the doctoral thesis of the late Fania Kollmann, on molecular analysis, and on data collected from live plants and herbarium sheets. The species, that was included in the past within the Allium neapolitanum section, is independent, and its status is based not only on morphology, but on genetics and ecology. The Palestine Garlic is a species of semi-arid and arid regions in Israel and Jordan. The article discusses the geographical distribution, habitats and phylogenetic connections of the species to related species.
Trends in the population size of the Wild Peony in the upper Kziv stream in the period 1973-2017. The findings of new surveys
Talia Oron taliaoron@gmail.com
Keywords: Upper Galilee, Mt. Meron, damp chaparral, endangered species, management intervention, monitoring, grazing
The Wild Peony (Paeonia mascula) is an endangered species in Israel, and is limited in its distribution to the Mt. Meron nature reserve, and the upper Kziv stream basin. Data collected by surveys at various times during the period 1973-2017 indicate that the populations maintain numerical stability, and might even be growing. The natural succession in the chaparral in the direction of tall forest trees, enables appropriate light condition for the normal development of the plants, and it is therefore recommended to avoid a management for the preservation of the species by means of opening the chaparral by means of cattle grazing, or cutting down of trees.
How do annual changes in the weather affect winter-spring flowering in a sandy habitat of the Coastal Plain?
Gadi Pollak Kalanit editorial board gadpollak@gmail.com
Keywords: Avichail, climate uncertainty, phenotypic flexibility, phenology, precipitation, Emek Hefer, phenophase, Mediterranean flora, global weather change
The rainy season of 2016-17 in Emek Hefer was dry compared to the perennial average, and compared to the rainy season that preceded it, and was characterized by a divergent pattern of rainfall. In October and November there was no significant rainfall, and the rain was concentrated in December and the first half of January, while February and March were dry. These changes affected the phenology of the winter-spring flowering. Its beginning and peak in 2016-17 were much later than in 2015-16, and generally lasted for a shorter period. The rate of delay was different for various species, in accordance with the life form of the plant, the position in the annual flowering order of the species, and the connection between flowering and the vegetative germination and growth of each species. In several species there was even a difference in the magnitude of the flowering between the two observed seasons. These phenological changes are attributed to the phenotypic flexibility of the plants, as a reaction to the differences in availability of water in the sandy habitat.