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Reintroduction of Peganum harmala to Nicosia old walls, Cyprus

12 June 2017

Thumb peganum harmala 1 resized

Peganum harmala occurs in Southeastern Europe, Mediterranean region and to the east towards central Asia and northwest India. It is a perennial species, flowering from May to June and fruiting from May to August. In Cyprus, it was recorded only at one location, near the walls of the old city of Lefkosia, on waste ground. It is classified as “Critically endangered” in the Red Data Book of the Flora of Cyprus. The only population of the species was extinct probably due to the heavy use of herbicides in the area.

Within the framework of the CARE-MEDIFLORA project, the species is reintroduced to Nicosia old walls. Seeds were collected from plants originated from Nicosia area and conserved at Athalassa Botanical Garden. Plants were produced in a screen house and planted in April 2017.

 

Reintroduction of Peganum harmala to Nicosia old walls (left), watering system in every individual (centre) and fungicide application (right)

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MAVA Foundation

Mediterranean Plant Specialist Group (IUCN/SSC) Sóller Botanical Garden Foundation, Balearic Islands Office of the Environment of Corsica - National Botanical Academy of Corsica Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus, Sardinia University of Catania, Sicily Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Crete Agricultural Research Institute, Cyprus Department of Forests, Cyprus