The successful solution of many aspects of palaeofloristic reconstruction is traditionally based on materials from palynomorphological and palaeopalynological studies. This paper summarizes an analysis of the palynofloral species composition from Allerød–Holocene deposits in 21 sections of the modern Lviv region. The analytical processing and generalization of the obtained palaeofloristic data enabled the identification of pollen and spores from 21 rare plant species in the fossil palynoflora. The species vary in conservation status within the extant flora. Currently, 15 of them occur in the plain part of the Lviv region. The remaining 6 are present only in the high mountains of the Ukrainian Eastern Carpathians.
In this study we examined data on COVID-19 patients recorded in 2020 at the Hakim Sadanne Hospital in the Biskra, Algeria and applied various tests: statistical, epidemiological, etc. In addition, we conducted interviews with herbalists and an ethnobotanical on-line survey of medicinal plants used during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 2108 cases of this disease, including 931 deaths, were analysed to link various factors, such as air temperature, age, and sex, with mortality rate. Our results demonstrate that the appearance of symptoms of infection was often associated with pre-existing chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, cardiovascular heart disease, and high blood pressure. As for medicinal plants, Melissa officinalis and Zingiber officinale were the most used during the pandemic, whereas Eucalyptus globulus and Syzygium aromaticum had 100% fidelity levels. In conclusion, primarily the above-mentioned chronic diseases were associated with reduced immunity to COVID-19. Furthermore, traditional medicine has been an accommodating alternative to conventional medical treatment of COVID-19 within Biskra region.
Remote sensing has allowed us to analyse changes in land use over 42 years in a steppe zone located in south-western Algeria, covering most of Naâma Province (wilaya) and the western part of El Bayadh Province. The main economic activity is pastoralism there. The society faces many challenges, including complex social and environmental interactions, climatic factors, and anthropogenic actions that cause major degradation of the natural ecosystems, leading to desertification and erosion. Our spatio-temporal study of plant cover dynamics was conducted using 4-period Landsat scenes (1977-1987, 1987-1998, 1998-2008, and 2008-2019). The soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) images were classified into 3 classes to detect changes in land cover. The results show varying degradation of steppe vegetation, as the plant cover decreased from 4.37% in 1977 to only 0.20% in 1987, followed by an increase to 8.80% in 1998, a decline to 1.05% in 2008, and a rise to 3.89% in 2019. Restoration measures should be taken in the areas classified as sensitive to desertification by using remote sensing.
Argemone ochroleuca Sweet, Brit. Fl. Gard. Ser.1 3(2): pl. 242 (1828) of the family Papaveraceae is reported here for the first time from Libya. This species is native to Mexico. Flowering specimens of A. ochroleuca were collected from the region Ariggiba (26°35’11.8”N 13°29’24.8”E), 110 km southwest of the city of Sabha, which lies about 700 km south of Tripoli. It is presented with updated nomenclature, taxonomic description, geographical distribution, key to genera, location in Libya, and colour photographs taken in the field. The voucher specimens are deposited in the Herbarium of Botany Department (ULT), University of Tripoli, Libya.
A botanical exploration carried out in Samtse District (south-western Bhutan) in 2019 led to a discovery of the rare perennial herb Hemiorchis pantlingii. It was found in shaded areas within a subtropical plantation forest of Shorea robusta Gaertn. at an elevation of 386 m. This species differs from H. rhodorrhachis in lateral staminodes, with apex ± truncate, yellow to orange-yellow, but also labellum mid-region distinctly raised with a single broad keel, and apical projection – a single blunt lobe. The plant is assessed as near threatened (NT) under the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.
