Species New to Science discovered and described by Avinoam Danin Ferula daninii Zohary Flora of Israel online http://flora.org.il
Origanum ramonense, endemic to a small area of the Negev Highlands, confined to smooth-faced limestone
Origanum ramonense In the greenhouse In the field
Origanum ramonense Nahal Lotz
Drawing by Esther Hoover
A hard rock outcrop during a light shower (ca. 1 mm/hr). The shiny faces are sites where a continuous water film developed on the rock and run-off started
Rock outcrops and an asphalt road where runoff started
Urginea maritima at a soil pocket in smooth-faced rock outcrop covered with epilithic lichens (P=100 mm)
A cross-section in a limestone covered with an epilithic lichen which protects it from the destructive energy of the rain drops epilithic lichen rock
Water in a depression at a rock-outcrop in the desert. Soil pockets should be regarded as such depressions filled with soil
A soil pocket in the desert. The marked plants are typical Mediterranean surviving due to efficient run-off from the exposed smooth rock (P=80 mm) Umbilicus intermedius Urospermum picroides
Bufonia ramonensis, endemic to one slope at the Negev Highlands, in the same rock outcrop of the two previous photos
Gebel Halal in N Sinai (P=80-100 mm), where Juniperus phoenicea trees survived in smooth-faced rocks. They penetrated the desert in a moist period more than 40,000 years ago. A branch of the marked tree displays 865 annual rings
A Juniperus phoenicea branch, 865 years old; seems to be the oldest tree recorded in the Middle East so far
Juniper trees in a wadi draining the large rocky surface attain considerable size, also by being naturally protected from becoming fire wood. The burning wood explodes and makes sparks which may endager the Bedouin tent
Juniperus phoenicea branches resemble those of Cupressus, but the small cones look like red fruits
Eastern Crete where Juniperus phoenicea shrubs are accompanied by Sarcopoterium and Coridothymus
Large rock outcrops of Gebel Halal support additional special plants among the Juniper trees Origanum isthmicum discovered here is endemic to an area less than 5x5 km at this mountain chain
Origanum jordanicum, the closest relative of O. isthmicum
Distribution of Origanum sect. Campanulatocalyx 1. O. dayi 2. O. ramonense 3. O. isthmicum 4. O. punonense 5. O. petraeum 6. O. jordanicum
In a study of plant adaptations in desert dunes, several species of the Boraginaceae were discovered, having the rare ability to produce root-borne shoots. The new shoots arrest mobile sand thus leading to the recovering of the exposed roots in areas of sand deflation Moltkiopsis ciliata Heliotropium digynum
A gentle slope of a sandy area south of Dimona supports several Boraginaceae. It is facing southwest, the main direction of strong winds in winter
A species new to science, described as Anchusa negevensis confined to that slope and was not found anywhere else. It produces root-borne shoots
Following DNA analyses of the family the species was transferred to another genus, and it is now Hormuzakia negevensis
A group of at least 7 individuals of H. negevensis that are possibly connected by their roots
New root-borne shoots of H. negevensis
Flowers and fruits of H. negevensis
Theucrium capitatum a common species of Israel and its neighbouring countries
Hair-types of the taxa related to Teucrium leucocladum, compared to those of T. capitatum subsp. leucocladum subsp. jordanicum subsp. sinaicum var. glandulosum T. capitatum
Distribution of the taxa related to Teucrium leucocladum
A list of taxa described by- or named after Avinoam Danin Origanum ramonense Danin 1967 Origanum isthmicum Danin 1969 Reaumuria negevensis Zohary & Danin 1970 Ferula daninii Zohary 1972 Brassica deserti Danin & Hedge 1973 Ifloga rueppellii (Fresen.) Danin 1973 Kickxia macilenta (Decne.) Dani 1973 Micromeria serbaliana Danin & Hedge 1973 Onopordum turcicum Danin 1974 Kickxia judaica Danin 1977 Portulaca oleracea L. subsp. nitida Danin & Baker (+7 subspecies) 1978 Amygdalus ramonensis Danin 1980
Leopoldia longipes (Boiss.) Losinsk. subsp. negevensis Feinbrun & Danin 1986 Minuartia sinaica (Boiss.) Danin 1987 Polygala negevensis Danin 1987 Silene alexandrina (Asch.) Danin 1987 Onopordum blanchei (Eig) Danin 1988 Origanum petraeum Danin 1990 Origanum punonense Danin 1990 Kickxia petrana Danin 1991 Allium daninianum Brullo, Pavone & Salmeri 1992 Phillyrea latifolia L. subsp. daninii Valdes 1992 Anchusa negevensis Danin 1995 Cyperus sharonensis Danin & Kukkonen 1995 Origanum jordanicum Danin & Kuenne 1996
Micromeria danaensis Danin 1997 Rubia danaensis Danin 1997 Silene danaensis Danin 1997 Teucrium leucocladum Boiss. subsp. jordanicum Danin and subsp. sinaicum Danin 1997 Satureja nabateorum Danin & Hedge 1998 Artemisia jordanica Danin 1999 Pycnocycla saxatilis Danin, Hedge & Lamond 2000 Bufonia ramonensis Danin 2001 Arundo mediterranea Danin 2004
Portulaca nicaraguensis (Danin & H.G. Baker) Danin 2006 Portulaca africana (Danin & H.G. Baker) Danin 2006 Portulaca tuberculata (Danin & H.G. Baker) Danin 2006 Portulaca impolita (Danin & H.G. Baker) Danin 2006 Portulaca papillato-stellulata (Danin & H.G. Baker) Danin 2006 Portulaca canariensis Danin & Reyes-Betancort 2006 Summary: 35 species and 5 subspecies new to science; 2 species and 25 1 subspecies named after A. Danin (additional one Cyanobacterium, probably Mathea daninii Friedmann, is in press since 1984).
For more presentations by Prof. Avinoam Danin, visit Flora of Israel Online http://flora.org.il