Plant life in Tunisia
By: Rima Sfaxi
Tags: Tunisia, Plants, Culture, Ecosystem, Environment

WHY?

It all started when I had a class project about plant life in my country, known as “The green Tunisia”, I was surprised when I realized that I don`t really know much about this matter. Shaaameee!

It is supposed to be a meme, the caption is the article.

All I needed was just some Alt-J songs and my computer to get lost in my usual virtual paradise of searchings. Unexpectedly, after reading BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of articles , I was LITERALLY mind-blown and I didn`t hesitate a second to share what I have learned on Medium. It is kind of a long article though but I promise myself to read it till the end. It is YOU who promised! YOU CAN`T TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ! Just put on some Lo-Fi music and follow me to this discovery!

Me in SKYPARK Sochi.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

Let`s begin with a little surprise; Tunisia , that little country of only 163,610 km² has itself 26 endemic plants (an endemic plant is present in the indigenous state only in this country) so there is a variety of 26 species only in Tunisia with 13 subspecies. That`s insane!

SO WHAT?

The sad part is that , a plant has already extincted :( It is called “Ophrys atlantica” which literally means “from the Atlas”. I feel sorry for “Gaia”. NO ONE should misjudge this DISASTER, because ecology says:

Everything Is Connected to Everything !

Ophrys Atlantica

Fortunatly, this plant still exists in some regions in Maghreb (North Africa). So WE CAN reintroduce it into its original habitat.

PS:If you are north african and you have information about Orphys Atlantica in your country, please e-mail me: rimabayasfaxi@gmail.com.

AND?

After learning about “Ophrys Atlantica”, I asked myself “What worse can happen ?” Then I found out that, another rare plant is endangered. It is called “ The patience of Tunisia”, I can relate, it is really patient as the government does NOT provide for it any protection AT ALL!

Rumex Tunetanus

Sadly, “Rumex Tunetanus” (scientifical name) does actually exist ONLY on a very small surface of 2km² in “Garaa Sejnane”(region in the north of Tunisia) . In fact, this threatened plant needs high humidity to grow which this zone basically offers, yet, the quality and the area of it are reducing every year because of cultivation, drainage and road constructions. THIS IS WHAT WE CALL AN ABUSE OF NATURE !!!

Patience of Tunisia

IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature) and scientists are calling for seed conservation and habitat protection. Some actions were taken by environmental NGOs in Tunisia but it is not enough ,This unique heritage plant needs URGENT serious laws NOW.

PS: Who can help me know more about legal recourses in Tunisia ?

OK WHAT ABOUT MEDICINE?

Medicine time; Thyme and Rosemary , usually grow in northern mountains, play an important role in natural treatement for tunisians. We usually, use them as a herbal drink or even to flavor meat.

Thyme and Rosemary

Tunisians believe that Thyme and Rosemary have a lot of benefits but the most common one is curing fever.

I ❤ RED HOT BAKLOUTI PEPPERS!

We, Tunisians consider baklouti pepper as our national vegetable. It is frequently present in our daily meals.

Many can`t cut down our traditional pepper paste “Harissa” from their diet as it has a very delicious spicy taste.

Harissa pepper paste

We are known as “ People of Harissa” by the other arab countries because eating Harissa is a pride, not many can support its spiciness. But it also means that Tunisians are strong and unbeatable!

HENNA, MEH…

I honestly started to love plants more than anything else after recognizing how much plants influence a culture.