Flora Syria On Line

The Studies on plants species in Syria and the Middle East began in the mid-seventeenth century, with many researchers examining the flora of the region, starting with the work of Boissier in 1650 and culminating in the comprehensive work of French researcher Paul Mouterde in 1950.

Unfortunately, there has been no comprehensive publication in Arabic or by any Syrian researcher on the plant biodiversity in Syria to date. Over the past 20 years, my work as a consultant for natural resource management, along with previous biodiversity projects, has led to a significant accumulation of documents, images, and data on plant species in Syria. We decided to compile this information into an open database accessible to everyone, both to broaden its utility and to contribute to its enrichment and expansion.

As mentioned earlier, the first compendium describing plant species in Syria was created in the mid-seventeenth century, followed by a series of works. The last comprehensive flora was compiled by a French researcher between 1945 and 1952, who reviewed and validated previous findings. This work, titled "Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie," was published in three volumes in 1966, 1974, and 1982. However, it primarily includes results from field studies and research conducted in the mid-twentieth century.

FSOL initiative focuses on three main tasks:

1. Updating scientific data regarding the accepted international nomenclature and the genetic relationships among the recorded plant species in Syria.

2. Documenting the geographical distribution of these species across the country, identifying the suitable bioclimate for their growth.

3. Providing descriptions in Arabic, which is the most challenging task, requiring significant effort for translation from French or English, as well as fieldwork for photography and documentation.

The first version of the www.fsol.net.sy portal was released in February 2007 and included information covering 12 items for each plant species, featuring only 750 species of wild plants that grow in Syria.

The second version was released in 2013, increasing the number of species to nearly 1,920 and expanding the species data to cover 16 items.

A few months ago, the third version was published, which now covers about 25 items for each plant species and is nearing the inclusion of all registered plant species in Syria, approximately 3,500 plant species.

The initiative for "FSOL Syria" has truly become a collaborative effort. Colleagues and friends are now active contributors to enriching the site. Currently, we are in the final stages of completing our first task: updating the database of recorded plant species in Syria in accordance with the accepted scientific names based on internationally agreed-upon indexes.

Simultaneously, we are documenting these plant species through descriptions, photographs, and supplementary explanations to help in identification.