New occurrences for the flora of Mount Lebanon and rediscovery of Daphne pontica

Hicham El Zein

doi:10.15468/79a7rn

New occurrences for the flora of Mount Lebanon and rediscovery of Daphne pontica

Citation

El Zein H (2023). New occurrences for the flora of Mount Lebanon and rediscovery of Daphne pontica. Version 1.7. Check List. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/79a7rn accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-06-16.

Description

During a series of surveys in two valleys of Mount Lebanon between 2014 and 2020, four new occurrences of vascular plants were detected. Atropa bella-donna L. (Solanaceae, Spermatophyte), Circaea lutetiana L. (Onagraceae, Spermatophyte), and Euonymus latifolius (L.) Mill. (Celastraceae, Spermatophyte) were recorded for the first time in Lebanon, while Daphne pontica L. (Thymelaeaceae, Spermatophyte), thought to be extirpated in Lebanon was rediscovered after 70 years. This resource was created to summarize the occurrences of the specimens collected.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Entire valleys of Wadi Nahr el-Assi (Metn district) and Wadi Jhannam (Minieh-Danniye district).

Sampling

Botanical exploration aiming at locating various plant species with geographic coordinates and mapping them.

Quality Control

The collected specimens have been deposited at the Post Herbarium in the American University of Beirut (BEI).

Method steps

Exploration, locate plant species, describe habitat, record geographic coordinates, take sample from interesting species.

Taxonomic Coverages

All vascular plants were identified to the species level.

Euonymus latifoius
rank: species
Daphne pontice
rank: species
Atropa bella-donna
rank: species
Circaeae lutetiana
rank: species

Geographic Coverages

The surveys were carried out in Nahr el-Assi (Metn District) during 2014 and 2015 and in Wadi Jhannam (Minie-Danniye District) in spring to winter of 2018–2020. The valley of Nahr el-Assi in Baskinta is located 10 km eastward from the Sannine summit, the second-highest point in the Mount Lebanon range (2,628 m a.s.l.). The valley of Wadi Jhannam is located 13 km north of Qornet es-Sawda, the highest summit of the range (3,088 m a.s.l.).

Bibliographic Citations

El Zein H, Bou Dagher-Kharrat M (2021) New records of vascular plants for the flora of Lebanon: a rare species rediscovered after seventy years, Daphne pontica L. (Thymelaeaceae), and three new occurrences, Atropa bella-donna L. (Solanaceae), Circaea lutetiana L. (Onagraceae), and Euonymus latifolius (L.) Mill. (Celastraceae). Check List 17 -

Contacts

Hicham El Zein
originator
position: Researcher
None
LB
email: hichamelzzein@gmail.com
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7541-9509

Hicham El Zein
metadata author
position: Researcher
None
LB
email: hichamelzzein@gmail.com
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7541-9509

Hicham El Zein
principal investigator
LB
email: hichamelzzein@gmail.com
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7541-9509

Hicham El Zein
administrative point of contact
position: Researcher
None
Beirut
LB
email: hichamelzzein@gmail.com
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7541-9509