Eig and Faktorovsky – among those to lay the foundation for the botany science in Israel
Uri Rosenberg agron@netvision.net.il
Keywords: Eliezer Smoli, Zohary, analytical flora , Feinbrun, plants of Israel
Alexander Eig was one of those who laid the foundation for the botany science in Israel, and worked with his colleague in the field of natural science, Eliezer Faktorovsky. The children author and naturalist Eliezer Smoli, describes the life stories of the two, and their contribution to the knowledge on the plants of Israel in his book "The Pioneers – the Explorers of Nature in Eretz Israel". The article tells the story of the work of Eig and Faktorovsky , their major contribution to the botanical knowledge of the country, and the heroic and tragic story of these two giants of botany, who experienced illness and scarcity, and passed away in the prime of their lives.
Summary of Kalanit study tour to the Carmel on the 11 and 12 of January, 2017
Avi Shmida, the Department of Evolution, Systematics and Behavior, the Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Givat Ram, and the Land of Israel Studies at the Kinneret College. avi.shmida@gmail.com
Hava Lahav, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. haval@netvisionlnet.il
Gadi Pollak – Kalanit editorial board. gadpollak@gmail.com
Keywords: Pinus halepensis, endemic to the Carmel, exclusive to the Carmel, southern distribution boundary, geophytes, Mount Carmel, Olea europaea, Euphorbia dendroides, Crocus, Colchicum, winter bloomers, vegetation of the Carmel, Mediterranean vegetation, flora of the Carmel, Romulea phoenicia, Genista fasselata
The winter rains were late in the current rainy season, and began only in December 2016, that was rainier and colder than usual. The germination and blossoming were delayed, and as a result the blooming on the Carmel during the study tour was meager. At the tour's stations we reviewed the main tree communities of the Carmel, in accordance with their distribution in the space, on the basis of altitude, exposure, the rock and soil, with special emphasis on the ecology of the Jerusalem Pine (Pinus halepensis) as a wild tree that is characteristic of the Carmel, and as a tree in the planted forest. We learnt in great detail about some of the species special to the Carmel, first and foremost, the Tree Spurge (Genista fasselata) and the Chaned Broom(Genista fasselata).
The phenology of flowering in the Sharon sand dunes
Gadi Pollak – Kalanit editorial board. gadpollak@gmail.com
Keywords: Avihail sand dunes national park, pollination, Ceratonia siliqua, Pistacia lentiscus, Mediterranean, Coastal Plain, Emek Hefer, phenology, winter-spring flowering, autumn flowering, sand plants, flora of Israel
The blooming within the Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua) and Lentisk Mastic Tree (Pistacia lentiscus) community in the Coastal Plain sands in the year 2015/2016 preceded the perennial flowering pattern in the mountainous Mediterranean region by 4-6 weeks, while there was no flowering in the sands in summer. The peak of flowering in the sands occurs in the second half of February and the beginning of March, while the peak of flowering in the mountainous Mediterranean region is in the beginning of April. A second wave of autumn flowering, whose peak was in October and November, included only a small number of woody species. In this study the timing, continuation and sequence of the flowering species were examined in two types of vegetation patches in ththat community:1. patches of shrubs with Carob trees, 2.Open sandy areas covered by herbaceous plants and sub-shrubs. The difference in the duration of the general flowering of woody and herbaceous plants was not significant, but the average length of blooming of insect pollinated species was longer than that of wind pollinated species. The connection between the flowering patterns in the Coastal Plain sand dunes and the seasonal rain pattern, and the effect of the evolutionary-phylogenic heritage and activity of pollinators on the seasonal pattern of flowering, are discussed. In conclusion, the importance of detailed knowledge of the spectrum and sequence of the flowering in any given site, in order to analyze and understand the factors that affect them, is emphasized.
