Study of Phytosociology of Plants in Surif, Palestine

1. Introduction

The plant in Palestine is an important part of the biology in the West Asia region in particular, and the world in general. Palestine’s geographical and strategic location gives it an important advantage as it mediates the three continents of the world (Jehad et al., 2021a). The region of southern Palestine, including the heights, plains, and valleys of Hebron, is of unique vitality due to its geographical location overlooking the Dead Sea from the east, the Sinai desert, the Negev, and the Red Sea to the south, and the Palestinian coastal region and the Mediterranean Sea from the west and north. The region of southern Palestine, including the heights, plains, and valleys of Hebron, is of unique vitality due to its geographical location overlooking the Dead Sea from the east, the Sinai desert, the Negev, and the Red Sea to the south, and the Palestinian coastal region and the Mediterranean Sea from the west and north (Jehad et al., 2021a). This region combines many varieties of plants, including the plants of the Mediterranean basin, the African desert, and North Africa, and other plants that have settled in this region through different eras. For these and other reasons, it was necessary to study the diversity, phytosociology, flora, and assemblages of these plants. The Surif region in the northwest of Hebron Governorate is an important model for conducting this study, as it includes many different plant varieties with a suitable geographical location. Surif climate is moderately Mediterranean, it is hot and dry in the summer and cold and rainy in the winter. Spring begins in late March and early April. July and August are the hottest months of the year, with average temperatures reaching 28.9 °C. January is the coldest month, and it usually rains. Between October and April, the average precipitation is 560 mm, at its highest rate in January and February. The average temperature is 18 degrees Celsius and the average relative humidity is about 16% (MOA, 2006; Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2009).

However, many studies have been conducted in the neighboring areas of the Hebron region, including Idna, Beit Jibrin (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022), Al-Dawaimah (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022a)., Wadi Al-Qaf (Jehad et al., 2021), and other regions in Hebron (Ighbareyeh & Carmona, 2018; Ighbareyeh et al., 2014b, c; Ighbareyeh et al., 2017; Ighbareyeh et al., 2021a).

There are more than 2780 plant species, 872 genera, and 144 families, of which 162 are indigenous to Palestine (Zohary 1962, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1986, 1987; Dothan, 1978b; Dothan 1986a; Dothan, 1978b, Danin & Feinbrun-Dothan, 1991; Danin, 2004; Ighbareyeh et al., 2014c). Some scholars have also studied the biodiversity and phytosociological plant community (Ighbareyeh et al., 2014b; Ighbareyeh et al., 2017; Jehad et al., 2021; Ighbareyeh et al., 2021a) and bioclimatology & climatology (Jehad et al., 2015; Ighbareyeh et al., 2015a, b, c, d; Ighbareyeh et al., 2016a, Ighbareyeh M.H., 2019; Jehad et al., 2021a) in Palestine and the Mediterranean region. The study aims to determine the phytosociology of plants in the Surif area.

2.1. Study Area

Surif is a Palestinian town located in the northwest of Hebron Governorate, 20 km northwest of Hebron, and 32 km south of Jerusalem. The village of Surif is located on a mountain range that forms walls, which made its location strategic since the days of the Romans when it was inhabited for the first time, and the Roman currency was minted in it, which made it economically important since ancient times (Al-Dabbagh,1991). The town is located to the northwest of the city of Hebron, 25 km away from it. Over a mountainous area 600 meters above sea level. Surif land area is about 31,600 dunums, of which 13,500 dunums are arable land, 400 dunums are forests, and 9, 700 dunums are open lands and pastures, with coordinates (31.6495695°N 35.0734668°E) (MOA, 2006; ARIJ, 2006-2009). It is bordered to the north by the village of Al-Jabaa Bethlehem, to the south by the village of Kharas and the city of Halhul, to the east by the town of Beit Ummar, and to the west by Beit Netif and Beit Shemesh, as in the (Figure 1& 2) (Al-Dabbagh, 1991).

2.2. Vegetation Data Collection

The data of 210 woody plants were chosen and collected from Surif woodlands or its hills and mountains, where the study and sampling were conducted at Al-Dair Village, Jabla village, Khirbet Jamreen (where the shrine of the companion Abu Ubaidah Amer bin Al-Jarrah is located and many old houses that are estimated to be more than 350 years old), Khirbet Mishrif, Khirbet Deir Musa, Ali Ghoneim’s Khalet, Khirbet Abu Shouk, Khirbet Mishrif, Khirbet Alin, Krabin and areas others as in (Figure 3).

Additionally, some scrubland was used as locations to gather biological, as well as plants for the conventional and thermal pattern (Table 1). The Braun-Blanquet approach (1979) was used to collect the data, and Van der Maarel (1979) was used to transform the Braun-Blanquet plant phytosociological markers. To further explain and translate the phytosociological markers of the Braun-Blanquet plant “(+=2, 1=3, 2=5, 4=6, 5=7) to those of Van der Maarel (1979), we created a matrix of 194 x 7 linked columns “(5: covering more than 3/4 of the area; 4: any number of species covering 1/2 to 3/4 of the area; 3: any number of individuals or species covering 1/4 to 1/2 of the area; 2: covering at least 5% of the area; 1: abundant but with low cover value; and + is very little cover)”.

In addition to using the phytosociological nomenclature code to characterize the new syntaxes in the study, we also employed Euclidean distances, cluster, and Detrended correspondence analysis to fill in any data gaps on whole plant analysis (Bols, 1958; Braun-Blanquet & Bols, 1950; Weber et al., 2000; Theurillat et al., 2020). The application XLSTAT Statistical Software for Excel was used to do the analysis.

The plants of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Negev Desert, the Sinai Desert, and the Mediterranean coast were used in the study of floristic as cover vegetation of sites in the Hebron area (Ighbareyeh et al., 2014b, Ighbareyeh et al., 2017a; Jehad et al., 2021; Ighbareyeh et al., 2021a; Ighbareyeh et al., 2022, Ighbareyeh et al., 2022a).

Many methodological studies have been conducted to explain the vegetation, including those by Bols et al. (1958), Braun-Blanquet (1979), Biondi (2011), Rivas-Martinez et al. (1999, 2001, 2002, 2017), and Theurillat et al. (2020).

2.3. Statistical Analyses

Data were used to create an Excel table with 210 rows (plants) and 7 columns (relèves) to calculate distance and similarity using the whole correlation approach. The Euclidean distance matrix (DCA) was produced from this table. We then performed detruded correspondence analysis (DCA) ordination analysis after generating two correlation and covariance value matrices. The statistical software program was useful since it generated a suitable, distinct inventory.

However, we have only one association or community, association 1 (ASL1), consisting of forest samples from groups (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) that were combined using cluster and DCA.

3. Result & Discussion

3.1. Steppe Vegetation, Maquis, and Macchie Forests

Pino Halepensis-Cupression Sempervirenti

The majority of the species in inventories (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) belonged to Pinus halepensis (L.) Miller (known as the Jerusalem pine and Aleppo pine), Cupressus sempervirens L., Cupressus arizonica Greene, Pinus Pinea L., Pinus brutia Tenore, Juniperus deltoides R. P.Adams (Juniperus oxycedrus L.), Juniperus turbinata Guss. (Juniperus phoenicea L.), Retama raetam (Forssk.) Webb. & Berthel., Spartium junceum L., Thuja occidentalis L., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Ceratonia siliqua L., Cersis siliquastrum L., Acacia dealbata Link., Acacia salicina Lindl., Acacia cyanophylla Lindl., Calicotome villosa (Poir.) Link., Genista monspessulana (L.) O. Bolós & Vigo., Acacia radiana Savi., Ficus cariaca L., Retama rhodorhizoides (Webb. & Berthel.), Scop., Ficus microcarpa L. F., Prosopis farcta (Banks et Sol.), Morus nigara L., Olea europaea L., Anonis natrix (L.), Morus alba L., Olea europaea var. sylvestris, Quercus calliprinos Webb. or Quercus palaestina Kotschy or Quercus coccifera L., Quercus rotundifolia Lam., Quercus boissieri Reut. or Quercus infectoria Olivier, Quercus inthaburensis Decne., Pistacia saportae Burnat., Rhus tripartita (Ucria) Grande Pistacia khinjuk Stocks, Rhus coriaria L., Schinus molle L., Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Rhamnus alaternus L., Sageretia thea (Osbeck) M. C. Johnst., Rhamnus disperma Ehrenb. ex. Boiss., Ziziphus jujuba Miller, Searsia tripartita (Ucria) Moffett, Zizyphus Lotus (L.) Lam., Paliurus spina-christi Miller, Zizyphus Spina-christi (L.) Desf., Populus alba L., Populus euphratica Oliv., Salix alba L., Atraphaxis spinosa L., Sarcopoterium spinosum (L.) Spach, Crataegus oriana (L.) DC., Amygdalus ramonensis Danin, Prunus arabica (Olivier) Meikle., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Prunus dulcis (Miller) D. A. Webb., Mespilus germanica L., Crataegus azarolus L., Lycium shawii Roem., Malus communis Desf., Prunus korshinskyi Hand. Mazz., Prunus ursina Kotschy, Solanum incanum L., Salvia officinalis L., Lycium europaeum L., Schult., Ballota undulata (Sieber ex. Fresen.) Bentham, Bassia arabica (Boiss.) Maire & Weiller, Lycium depressum Stocks, Phlomis brachyodon (Boiss.) Zohary, Phlomis pungens Willd., Phlomis chrysophylla Boiss., Phlomis platystegia Post., Ballota philistaea Bornm., Lycium schweinfurthii Dammer, Phlomis viscosa Poiret., Teucrium capitatum L., Lycium barbarum L., Salvia fruticosa Miller, Satureja thymbrifolia Hedge & Feinbrun, Stachys palaestina L., Thymbra spicata L., Capparis aegyptia Lam., Satureja thymbra L., Salvia aegyptiaca L., Teucrium creticum L., Salvia palaestina Benth., Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav., Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss., Sarcocornia fruticosa (L.) A. J. Scott., Suaeda palaestina Eig. & Zohary, Salsola cyclophylla Baker, Atriplex halimus L., Haloxylon persicum Bunge, Hyoscyamus aureus L., Iphiona maris-mortui Feinbrun, Echinops philistaeus Feinbrun & Zohary, Cota tinctoria (L.) J. Gay, Crepis reuteriana Boiss., Alkanna tinctoria (L.) Tausch, Doellia bovei (DC.) Anderb., Crepis hierosolymitana Boiss., Achillea aleppica DC., Alkanna strigosa Boiss. & Hohen., Artemisia monosperma Delile, Artemisia sieberi Besser, Alkanna galilaea Boiss., Periploca aphylla Decne., Artemisia arborescens L., Euphorbia hirta L., Heliotropium arbainense Fresen., Alkanna orientalis (L.) Boiss., Euphorbia hierosolymitana Boiss., Echium glomeratum Poir., Heliotropium bacciferum Forssk., Echium angustifolium Miller, Podonosma orientalis (L.) Feinbrun, Euphorbia hirsuta L., Echiochilon fruticosum Desf., Heliotropium rotundifolium Lehm., Erysimum crassipes Fisch. & C. A. Mey., Festuca arundinacea Schreb., Fibigia clypeata (L.) Medik, Glaucium flavum Crantz., Hordeum bulbosum L., Iris vartanii Foster, Verbascum sinaiticum Benth., Gladiolus italicus Mill., Juncus subulatus Forssk., Iris palaestina (Bak.) Boiss., Kickxia aegyptiaca (L.) Nabelek, Capparis sicula Duh., Iris atropurpurea Baker, Juncus acutus L., Clematis cirrhosa L., Capparis spinosa L., Convolvulus dorycnium L., Clematis flammula L., Ipomoea cairica (L.) Sweet, Fagonia orientalis C. Presl., Ferula biverticillata J. Thieb., Convolvulus lanatus Vahl., Fagonia bruguieri DC., Ipomoea imperati (Vahl.) Griseb., Foeniculum vulgare Miller, Fagonia arabica L., Ferula tingitana L., Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile, Fagonia mollis Delile, Ferula orientalis L., Ferula communis L., Conium maculatum L., Ferulago syriaca Boiss., Glaucium grandiflorum Boiss. & A. Huet, Glaucium arabicum Fresen., Cistus creticus L., Fumana thymifolia (L.) Webb., Tamarix nilotica (Ehrenb.) Bunge, Asparagus palaestinus Baker, Parkinsonia aculeata L., Ochradenus baccatus Delile, Styrex officinalis L., Azolla filiculoides Lam., Paeonia mascula (L.) Miller, Melia azedarach L., Ephedra aphylla Forskal, Thymelaea hirsuta (L.) Endl., Erodium arborescens (Desf.) Willd., Rubia tinctorum L., Jacaranda mimosaefolia D. Don., Erodium acaule (L.) Becherer & Thell., Verbascum fruticulosum Post., Erodium crassifolium L’Her., Arbutus andrachne L., Juglans regia L., Globularia arabica Jaub. & Spach, Vitex agnus-castus L., Hibiscus micranthus L., Brachychiton populneus (Schott & Endl.) R.Br., Verbena officinalis L., Arundo micrantha Lam., Arundo donax L., Arundo micrantha Lam. (Arundo mediterranea Danin), Heptaptera anisoptera (DC.) Tutin, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., and Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter accompanied by Pistacia lentiscus L., Rhamnus palaestinus Boiss. (Rhamnus lycioides L.), Pistacia palaestina Boiss., Pistacia atlantica Desf., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Rhamnus disperma Ehrenb. ex Boiss., Quercus species, and many species of herbaceous plants. In mesomediterranean to thermomediterranean thermotype zones, dry to humid and sub-humid conditions, it finds forests that have evolved to the Mediterranean woods, shrublands, and relict maquis trees, and carbon-rich soils with pH values that are nearly neutral, such as limestone, brown ruins, and light rendzina (terra rossa) (Ighbareyeh & Carmona, 2018; Jehad et al., 2021; Ighbareyeh et al., 2021; Ighbareyeh et al., 2022, Ighbareyeh et al., 2022a). The typical height is 586 meters, and the vegetation is 5-20 m (10 m) tall with a 5-30% slope and a 75% plant cover rate, it gives us proof that the association, which is situated in the Asian portions of the Eastern Mediterranean and belongs to the inframediterrenean, thermomediterranean to mesomediterranean thermotype: Pino halepensis-Cupression sempervirenti (Figure 5 and Figure 6; Table 2: ASL 1- Inventores A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, typus group 1), therefore, the proposed association is Pino halepensis-Cupression sempervirenti (Figure 4 and 5; Table 2: ASL 1- Inv. A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H).

Furthermore, in terms of flora and vegetation following are: In the life forms’ in this association, 210 species, which of 77 (36.66%) phanerophytes trees, as trees (47), phanerophytes (4), phanerophytes shrubs (14), phanerophytes shrubs geophyte (4), phanerophytes vine (2), phanerophytes shrub vine (2), phanerophytes dwarf-shrub (2); shrubs 19 (9%); chamaephyte 61 (29.04%) as chamaephyte shrubs or semi shrubs (17) and chamaephyte 45 (21.42%); hemicryptophyte 48 (22.85%); geophyte 5 (2.38%) as (geophyte 4, geophyte vine 1(0.47%); and helophyte 1 (0.47%), as shown in the (Figure 6).

On the other side, in this study, more than 46 families were recorded, the most representative of which was Lamiaceae 26 (12.38%), Compositae 14 (6.36%), Rosaceae 13 (6.19%), Amaranthaceae 12 (5.71%), Fabaceae 12 (5.45%), Boraginaceae 10 (4.76%), Rhamnaceae 9 (4.28%), Anacardiaceae 9 (4.28%), and the rest of family as shown in the (Figure 7).

However, of the 600 plant species observed, 210 were woody, and 15 species were endemic to the Surif region (7.14%), including 4 sub-endemics. Herbaceous plants were excluded from analysis in the paper because our focus is on large or woody plants, and thus, they were not included in the study. During our study of this plant community (Pino halepensis-Cupressiom sempervirentis), we found that it is similar to another plant unit or community that was published in the year 2022 in the western region of Hebron, Beit Jibreen (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022), among these varieties are Pinus halepensis Miller (Jerusalem pine), Pinus pinea L., Pinus brutia Tenore, and Cupressus sempervirens L., Cupressus arizonica Greene, Juniperus oxycedrus L., and others species.

Moreover, we found numerous Pinus species in the area, including Pinus brutia Tenore, Pinus pinea L., Pinus halepensis Miller (often known as the Jerusalem pine or Aleppo pine), and Cupressus spp. as, Cupressus sempervirens L., Juniperus deltoides R. P. Adams (Juniperus oxycedrus L.), Juniperus turbinata Guss. (Juniperus phoenicea L.), and other species in dry, subhumid, and humid regions in order Pinetalia halepensis Biondi et al. (2014) and class Junipero phoeniceae-Pinon acutisquamae A.V. Pérez et Cabezudo in A.V. Pérez et al. 1988 corr. Rivas-Mart. et al. 2002 nom. invers. Propos (Rivas-Mart. et al. 2002), and the community is habituated in the class of Quercetea palaestini or calliprini (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022) and Quercetea ilicis Br.-Bl. ex. A.& O. Bolòs 1950, with the order Pinetalia halepensis Biondi et al. (2014), and in alliance of Pino halepensis-Cupressiom sempervirentis (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022).

These associations’ syn-taxonomical interpretation is demonstrated:

Maquis and forest vegetation:

Class: Quercetea ilicis Br.-Bl. ex. A.& O. Bolòs 1950

Class: Quercetea calliprini or palaestini (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022)

Order: Pinetalia halepensis Biondi et al. (2014)

Alliance: Pino halepensis-Cupressiom sempervirentis (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022)

Association: Pino halepensis-Cupressetum sempervirentis

Since Surif is home to more than 210 types of forest plants and shrubs that were investigated and analyzed in this study, it exhibits a different pattern of forest vegetation and biodiversity while being at an appropriate altitude above sea level in comparison to the rest of the Palestinian lands, includes steppes, oak woodlands, shrubs, and other species, Surif region has a dry climate with inframediterranean to thermomediterranean and mesomediterranean thermotypes, with precipitation ranging from 350 to 600 mm.

“Syntaxonomical scheme:

Class: Quercetea ilicis Br.-Bl. ex A. Bolòs et O. de Bolòs in A. Bolòs y Vayreda 1950

Class: Quercetea calliprini or palaestini nova. (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022)

Order: Quercetalia calliprini Zohary 1960

Order: Quercetalia ilicis Br.-Bl. ex Molinier 1934

Order: Pinetalia halepensis Biondi et al. (2014)

Alliance: Pino halepensis-Cupressiom sempervirentis (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022)

Alliance: Querco - Pistacion lentisci all. nova (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022)

Association: Pino halepensis-Cupression sempervirenti *

Class: Quercetea ilicis Br.-Bl. ex A. Bolòs et O. de Bolòs in A. Bolòs y Vayreda 1950

Order: Quercetalia calliprini Zohary 1955,1960

Alliance: Ceratonio-Pistacion lentisci Zohary ex Zohary et Orshan 1959

Alliance: Querco - Pistacion lentisci all. nova (Ighbareyeh et al., 2022)

Ceratonio siliquae - Quercion calliprinae (Jehad et al., 2021)

Pino halepensis-Cupression sempervirenti (Jehad et al., 2021)

Associations:

- Ceratonio siliquae-Quercetum callipinii. (Jehad et al., 2021)

- Pino halepensis-Cupressetum sempervirentis (Jehad et al., 2021)

* Associations in which olive cultivation is possible.