Phagnalon Cass.
Genus composed of about 27 species generally with herbaceous stems or, when woody, usually only at the base, widely distributed in the Palaearctic. In North Africa it is represented by 10 species, among which P. calycinum stands out for its woody stems and larger size. The other species in North Africa barely exceed 0.5 m in height but often have stems with woody base. P. sordidum (L.) Rchb. is endemic to the Mediterranean western region; it can reach up to 40 cm in height and it is found in areas of low or medium mountain in NE Morocco, Algerian Tellian and N Tunisia. P. saxatile (L.) Cass. is endemic to the central and western Mediterranean and the Macaronesia; it does not exceed 50 cm in height and in North Africa it is found in most of N Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. P. rupestre (L.) DC. is a subshrub of no more than 40 cm in height, from the Mediterranean and Macaronésica regions; in North Africa it is found in the northern half of Morocco and N Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula. P. garamantum Maire is endemic to Algeria (Ahaggar Massif). P. bicolor Ball (P. atlanticum Ball, nom illeg.) is endemic to Morocco (High Atlas and Middle Atlantic Morocco). P. latifolium Maire [Aliella latifolia (Maire) Dobignard] is also endemic to Morocco (Anti-Atlas and High Atlas, between 1,700 and 2,700 m in altitude). A further 3 species are only found in Egypt: P. sinaicum Bornm. & Kneuck, with a distribution area from the Sinai Peninsula to Jordan; P. barbeyanum Asch. & Schweinf., found in the E of Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula, and in the Near East; and P. nitidum Fresen., from the Near East, also found in the region of Jebel Elba and in the Sinai Peninsula. Currently, none of these species have been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In the Red List of vascular plants of Egypt (Flora Aegyptiaca Vol 1, 2000) P. sinaicumis listed as “Rare”. In Algeria P. garamantum is included in the List of protected non cultivated flora (Executive Decree 12-03 on 4-Jan-2012).
Updated by: B. Valdés.