Eudicots

This common European plant is confined to the mountains in Turey and S Europe. These were the last flowers in autumn in a rainy day.

Ornithopus pinnatus is extremely rare and endangered in Israel. Its a shy annual of the coastal plain sands.

This South african succulent blooms once a year. Each flower is really impressive, attracting flies with its unpleasant scents.

Centranthus longiflorus is a common weedy perennial of the eastern Mediterranean and eastwards to the Caucasus. After blooming it has small fruits that are equipted with a tuft of hair for wind dispersal.

Plangago bellardii is a tiny annual plant that occurs rather rarely in Israel. I was lucky to capture it against the sun with my pocket camera this time.

Although it was not the blooming season, I found a few flowers in a few shrubs.

Reintroduced to Ein Gedi oasis after was extinct. This desert species reaches its northmost range around the Dead Sea basin (Israel and Jordan). Since it disappeared in Israel (was collected only 2-3 times in the past), seeds were obtained form Jordan and propagated. Now the shrubs are planted near the entrance to the Ein Gedi reserve and are doing very well. Interestingly this species looses its leaves and is very much adapted to the extreme desert. It is very different form the famous Mediterranean Capparis spinosa.

This is another gentianoid I found in the high altitudes on the way to Huanglong Park. Perhaps it is Swertia species.

Trifolium tomentosum is a creeping annual clover, it grows in various habitats, here in the coastal sands.

Its spring time and endliess carpets of flowers decorate the slopes of Israel. Here you can see Ranunculus asiaticus, anthemis, erdiun, eruxaria and many more...

Rumex pictus is a common annual is the coastal and desert sands in Israel. Here u can see young fruits.

Rumex pictus is common in coastal and desert sands.

Rumex nepalensis has typical hooked fruit appendages. In Israel it is an extremely rare plant.

This scarlet red flower grows normally in Mediterranean regions, in Israel it penetrates the deserty. Here you can see typical carpets of the transition zone, just approaching the desert.

A beautiful deciduous oak that grows in Mt Hermon on the border of Israel, Syria and Lebanon.

This oak grows in Turkey, southwards to Lebanon. These acorns were taken in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. They are viable only for a few weeks and if not sown, dry out.

Quercus ithaburensis is an impressive deciduous tree of Israel and its surroundings, it has huge acorns. The embrio is located at the bitter tip of the acords, white the other side is sweeter. Rodents and jays disperse the acorns, enjoy and food and disperse the bitter part to a new location.

Mt tabor Oak (Quercus ithaburensis) has the largest acorns in the region. The acorns are loved by jays that eat the sweet part and leave the bitter part with the enbrio, thus dispersing it. The species grows in israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Quercus coccifera is a common scrubby small tree of the Mediterranean area. It has typical spiny leaves.

Quercus brantii is a bominant oak in the open forests of E Turkey and N Iraq. It has large acorns that are loved by jays and rodents.

Quercus ithaburensis is named after Mt Tabor in the Lower Galilee. It has huge acorns.

a small Mediterranean annual.

Oxalis palmifrons is a South african species, it has amazing palm-like leaves, hence its name.

another pic of Onobrychis cornuta. A famous-common shrublet of SW Asian mountains. Its a cushion-like spiny plant, adapted to the very cold, often overgrazed habitat. Dr Oz Goan found out that the spines cause the snow to melt more quickly around the plant, hence elongating the very short growth time. In peak blooming is look like a purple cushion. Here u can see a young plnat that was found near the road in Mt Hermon, 2000m.