More than 20 years have passed since the publication of the book Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of North Africa. Given that the book is still in high demand and considering that it is only available in Spanish and that it was in need of a thorough revision and a taxonomic update, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) has promoted this new website.
It is a very special re-edition, because it includes versions in French and English, it broadens its study area to encompass Egypt and Sudan, and it features the collaboration of more than 40 North African and European experts. The goal of the book is to provide up-to-date information in the form of a practical field guide, a tool that will prove useful for educators and students of Forestry and Agricultural Engineering, in Biology Departments, Pharmacy and other scientific disciplines. It is also a helpful resource for technicians, naturalists and, in general, for any professional or amateur person who is interested in the study, management and conservation of the valuable ecosystems of North Africa and the important biodiversity they support, of great global value.
To facilitate reading, abbreviations are not usually used on this website. Only the well-known ones are used, such as the cardinal points (N, S, E and W), the taxonomic categories (subsp. var. f.), in the keys pp (= pro parte) and little else. When referring to classical works, the full name is usually given (Flore de la Tunisie, Flora iberica, Flora of Lybia, Flora of Egypt, The Plant List/World flora online …) and when they are longer names, they are abbreviated, such as FAN (Flore d’Afrique du Nord), ISFAN (Index synonymique de la Flore d’Afrique du Nord), EUROMED (Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity), IPNI (International Plants Name Index), etc.
This website contains the entire old book but with numerous improvements, updates and additions. All contents are now freely available and will be updated by a group of experts. Thus, becoming an interactive field guide, and anyone interested is encouraged to collaborate by sending us data and/or photographs that they deem relevant.