Flora of Jordan

Jordan flora covers the wild plants of different ecosystems and habitats in Jordan. Plants are shown within their wider landscape environment showing soil types, geological features, and grouping with other plant species.

Jordan flora also aims to address the cultural aspect of regional species through publishing information from ethnobotany related to medicinal uses of local species in traditional medicine during Greco-Roman, Islamic, and the recent past.

This website will continue to develop. Further information will be added periodically.

Jordan Flora News

		14- May-2005 - Wild lily or Tartar lily From Madaba, you can drive on the way to Um al Rassas, on the road that starts in front of the Church of the Apostles. You may also drive in the direction of Dheiban- southwards- and at different points exit the Kings Highway eastwards , to arrive on the plateau to the north of Wadi Wala or between Wadi Wala and Wadi al Moujib. Another way to reach this landscape would be from the Desert Highway from the east, exit heading west just after Zeizia, or at a point further south on the Desert Highway with the sign of “Um el Rassas”.
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		11- May-2005 - Caper picking or Caper season The most concentrations of caper bushes are by the sides of the back-road from Wadi al Sir to Fuhais. You can find caper plants almost anywhere, and very possibly growing out of cracks in the walkway in front of you house.
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		9- May-2005 - Holly parasite or Christmas mistletoe A destination to find mistletoe for sure would be the valley below the town of Wadi al Sear, in the surrounding of the spring, look for the shady and humid hillsides. From afar mistletoe appears as dense globes of warm dark-green and in this time of the year with red berries.
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7- May-2005
- Flame Tree
During all of June, the Jordan valley is full of blooming Flame Trees. The southern parts of the Rift Valley, including Aqaba, start the flowering season couple of weeks earlier. According to the timing of heat, the blooming sweeps northward until it reaches the upper Jordan valley towards the end of June.

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		5- May-2005 - Black on black or "Iris Petrana" Now is the season of black iris, it is a short season, if you miss it, you have to wait for another year
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		2- May-2005 - Flora Feast - On wild flowers Within half an hour drive from Amman , one can be in the midst of a landscape in full bloom. Wadi Shu'ayb, to the south of Salt, is good specially for early spring or cold days. Other destinations include villages near Allan, to the northwest of Salt, with many wonderful drives, on dirt roads, that eventually take you to the Jordan valley by the southern banks of the Zarqa River .
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		23- December-2003 - Rare fern lost in Jordan re-discovered at Dead Sea The fern (Gymnogramma leptophylla)=(Anogramma leptophylla) has been recorded in plant list of the country but for decades not seen by botanists. On Nov. 29,2003 this plant was spotted by Ammar Khammash in a waterfall at one of the valleys by the eastern shores of the Dead Sea. The plant was identified by Mr. Maher Qishawi from the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. The other known sighting of this plant was in Wadi Rum few years ago by Mr. Qishawi.
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		20- March-2003 - Tracing the origin of Tulip (From the Jordan Times weekender, February 28- 2003)
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		13- April-2003 - New to Jordan New iris was discovered by Ammar Khammash in late March 2003. The flower (Iris hermona) was identified as "new to Jordan", and was verified by Maher Qishawi form the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). The Flower was discovered on the southeastern slopes of Dibeen forest in the Ajlun region. It is limited to an area of about 4000 m2 and grows in 3-4 groups with about 20 flowers each. After this discovery, Jordan now has 11 kinds of wild iris.
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