{"id":10938,"date":"2020-11-10T08:58:20","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T08:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northafricatrees.org\/family\/boraginaceae-juss\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T20:11:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:11:31","slug":"boraginaceae-juss","status":"publish","type":"family","link":"https:\/\/www.northafricatrees.org\/en\/families\/boraginaceae-juss\/","title":{"rendered":"BORAGINACEAE Juss."},"content":{"rendered":"

Family composed of about 153 genera and 2000 species of trees, shrubs, lianas (rarely) and herbaceous plants, with an almost cosmopolitan distribution, but with an important representation in the tropics and the Irano-Turanian and Mediterranean regions. In temperate regions, the various genera are composed of annual or perennial herbaceous species. In the tropics, there are trees and shrubs species. In North Africa, in the transition between the Mediterranean and tropical regions, there are some trees, shrubs and perennials with \u00b1 woody stems (genera Cordia<\/strong>, Euploca, <\/strong>Trichodesma, Lithodora <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>and Echiochilon<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

In the genus Euploca <\/strong>Nutt., composed for the most part of herbaceous species, there is one woody species, E. rariflora <\/strong>(Stocks) Diane & Hilger (Heliotropium rariflorum <\/em>Stocks), of up to 0.5(0.8) m in height, with upright greyish branches, the older branches covered in a whitish-silvery bark that peels off in strips, exposing a dark brown (almost black) bark underneath, that also peels off; young branchlets green, with white applied hairs. Leaves 7-25(35) \u00d7 1-5 mm, linear or linear-lanceolate, with a somewhat revolute margin and covered in white applied and scattered hairs (barely touching each other); petiole c. <\/em>2 mm. Inflorescence sparse, spiciform, with white applied hairs, pentamerous flowers; calyx with subequal lobes, lanceolate; corolla 2.4-3 mm, white or greenish-yellowish. Nutlet subglobose, covered with erect hairs. Its distribution is mainly Saharo-Sindian, from the Atlantic Sahara to the NW of India, reaching towards the SE up to Tanzania. In North Africa it is distributed through the southern and western Sahara.<\/p>\n

Lithodora<\/strong> Griseb.<\/span><\/span> is a genus with only three species of Mediterranean shrubs, two of which are found in North Africa.<\/span><\/span> They are characterized by their whitish bark that cracks to reveal the dark interior, twigs and leaves with scattered white hairs (clearly showing the green of the leaf), lanceolate, slightly fleshy leaves, 0.5\u20131.5 cm long, and symmetrical, actinomorphic, funnel-shaped, dark bluish-purple flowers.<\/span><\/span> L. fruticosa<\/strong> (L.) Griseb.<\/span><\/span> is from the western Mediterranean (France, Spain, Morocco, and Algeria), while the similar L. hispidula<\/strong> (Sm.) Griseb.<\/span><\/span> is from the eastern part (Anatolia, Syria, Libya, and several islands such as Crete and Cyprus).<\/span><\/span> The Libyan population has been differentiated as L. hispidula<\/strong> subsp.<\/span><\/span> cyrenaica<\/strong> (Pamp.) Brullo & Furnari, endemic to Jbel Akhdar.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Also belonging to this family are the subshrubs from the genus Echiochilon <\/strong>Desf., with stems and branches woody but barely reaching 40(50) cm in height. Bark whitish, fissured and peeling off into longitudinal plates; branchlets and leaves with scattered applied white hairs (clearly revealing the green colour of the leaf); leaves from lanceolate to oblong, fleshy, 0-5-1.5 cm. The North African species with most lignified stems are: E. fruticosum<\/strong> Desf. is the most widespread species in the Sahara, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea; it is distinguished by its corolla, hairy on its outer face. E. chazaliei<\/strong> (Cham.) I.M. Johnst., from western Sahara (from Mauritania to S of Morocco) has a corolla that is glabrous on its outer face. E. simonneaui<\/strong> Dubuis & Faurel, is an endemic of the western Sahara (Saguia el Hamra); leaves lanceolate with hairs only along the margin and corolla glabrous on the outside. Finally, E. kotschyi <\/strong>(Boiss. & Hohen.) I.M. Johnst. differs by its white petals with yellowish base; found in the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, but also cited in Libya.<\/p>\n

Currently, none oft hese species have been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-10938","family","type-family","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBORAGINACEAE Juss. - North Africa Trees<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BORAGINACEAE Juss. - North Africa Trees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Family composed of about 153 genera and 2000 species of trees, shrubs, lianas (rarely) and herbaceous plants, with an almost cosmopolitan distribution, but with an important representation in the tropics and the Irano-Turanian and Mediterranean regions. In temperate regions, the various genera are composed of annual or perennial herbaceous species. 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