Articles

A phytosociological review is carried out of the pine forest formations on the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola (Caribbean), due to the diversity of soils and environments. We collected 10 plant associations belonging to the class <i>Byrsonimo-Pinetea caribaea</i> growing on siliceous, calcareous and sandy substrates and 21 associations on special, serpentine and ophite substrates and on ultramafic rocks belonging to the class <i>Caseario</i><i> crassinervis</i><i>-Pinetea cubensis, </i>exclusive to Cuba; while the association of pine forests on serpentines in Hispaniola is included in the class <i>Phyllantho orbicularis-Neobracetea valenzuelanae </i>with a Caribbean distribution. The comparative phytosociological and statistical study reveals phytosociological anomalies in the inclusion of various syntaxa, and in the description of other syntaxa according to the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (ICPN). We therefore propose a change in status for several of the subassociations described: subass. <i>ilicetosum repandae</i>: syn. var. con <i>Ilex repanda</i>; subass. <i>schmidtottietosum shaferi</i>: syn. var. with <i>Schmidtottia shaferi</i>; subass. <i>acrosynanthetosum trachyphylli</i>: syn. var. with <i>Acrosynanthus trachyphyllus</i>; subass. <i>psychotrietosum grandis</i>: var. con <i>Psychotria grandis</i>; subass. <i>notodonetosum roigii</i>: syn. var. with <i>Notodon roigii</i>. We also propose a <i>nomen novum</i>: <i>jaquinietosum oxhyphyllae</i> Reyes &#x26; Acosta 2012 ex Cano et al<i>. hoc loco</i>.

Al-Dawaimah is an ancient Canaanite Palestinian village, occupied in 1948 by Israel, and belongs to inframediterranean to thermomediterranean thermotype and arid, semi-arid, and dry ombrotype. The study presents, a region rich in many plant vascular, and it is part of the Palestinian coast, North Africa, the Negev and the Sinai desert, in addition to the mountainous hills of Palestine located west of the Hebron, Jordan River and the Dead Sea. The objective is to identify and update the flora and vegetation in the area of Al-Dawaimah and its neighboring areas in west Hebron of Palestine. Methodology: More than 270 plant specimens have been taken from Al-Dawaimah and surroundings areas, using Braun-Blanquet, Van der Maarel and Salvador River Martinez methods to study the flora, and phytosociological plants, and 214 x 10 plants plots distributed in area were studied. Result and discussion: Three different plant communities were identified, in different environments between arid, dry- subhumid ombrotype and infra-thermomediterranean thermotype, and different soils as (carbon substrates as brown ruinsenas and terra rossa lands, limestone and others), where more than 214 species of plants have been found, of which 45 (20.02%) are endemic species, and in Raunkiaer's life system, trees represent were, (86; 40.18% trees), (34; 15.88% shrubs), (51; 23.83% chamaephytes), (10; 4.67% geophytes), (16; 7.47% phanerophytes), and (12; 6.54% hemicryptophytes). Conclusion: In Al-Dawaimah area<b>,</b> syntaxonomical performance of these associations are: <i>Quercetalia ilicis</i> Br.-Bl. ex Molinier 1934. <i>Rhamno lycioidis-Quercion cocciferae</i> Rivas Goday ex Rivas-Martinez 1975. 1. <i>Rhamnus palaestinae- Quercetum calliprini</i> ass. nova., <i>Pistacio</i> <i>lentisci -Rhamnetalia alaterni</i> Rivas-Martínez 1975. 2. <i>Ceratonio siliquae -Pistacetum lentisci</i> ass. nova., <i>Junipero</i> <i>phoeniceae- Pinon acutisquamae</i> A.V. Pérez et Cabezudo in A.V. Pérez et al. 1988 corr. Rivas-Martinez. et al. 2002. <i>Pinetalia halepensis</i> Biondi et al. 2014. 3. <i>Junipero phoeniceae- Pinetum halepensis</i> ass. nova.