Flora-Fauna

Abies cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carrière

(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 43; 1966. First published in Traité Général des Conifères: 229, 1855)

• Life-form & habit: Large evergreen conifer, 20–35(–40) m tall; trunk straight, bark grey, fissured with age; crown pyramidal in youth, broadening with age. Branches horizontal, often slightly ascending at tips.

• Leaves: Persistent 6–10 years, linear, rigid, flattened, 2–3 cm long, dark green above, whitish with 2 stomatal bands beneath; apex obtuse or emarginate. Leaves spreading comb-like on lateral shoots, radially on erect shoots.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Monoecious. Male strobili numerous, axillary on previous year’s shoots, cylindrical, yellowish. Female cones erect, cylindrical, 10–15 × 4–5 cm, green turning brown at maturity; bracts exserted, reflexed.

• Fruit: Mature cones disintegrating on tree at seed release; seeds winged, triangular, 1 cm long.

• Phenology: Pollen shed in April–May; seed cones mature September–October.

• Habitat & elevation: Montane and subalpine forests, on limestone or dolomitic slopes; 1,400–2,000 m.

• Lebanese distribution: Extensive on Jabal el-Mnaitra, Jabal Barouk, Jabal Sannine, Jabal Makmel above Bcharré, Ehden forest, and Jabal Qamou‘a.

• Syrian distribution: Anti-Lebanon (Hermon), mountains of the Syrian coast (Slenfé, Jabal Ansarieh).

• Native range: Endemic to the Levant; restricted to Lebanon, Syria, and the adjacent Taurus Mts. in southern Turkey.