Potentiality of Native Range Plants under Different Habitats from El-Arish to El-Kantara District (North-Eastern Coast of Egypt)

The effects of climatic and edaphic factors on potentiality ofnative range plants of seven sites (S1 non-saline depression, S2 and S3inland plateau, S4 and S5-saline depression, S6 and S7-coastal andsand dunes) were investigated for spring and summer seasons duringtwo years (2001 and 2002) from El-Arish to El-Kantara district in theNorth-Eastern Coast of Egypt. During this study the vegetation structurewas evaluated on 25 chart quadrates (5m2 each) together with soilphysical and chemical analysis. The plants were identified and classifiedaccording to their palatability as palatable (p) and unpalatable(up) and for duration as perennial (Pr) and annual (An). The resultsshowed that 26 plant species in four habitats belong to 14 families.The highest contribution was represented by plant species belongingto family Chenopodiaceae followed by Asteraceae (Compositae) andPoaceae (Graminae) (6,4,4,), respectively. The highest values of density(plant/m2), abundance percentage in site 1, site 2, 3 and site 7,were Artemisia monosperma, Zygophyllum album, Mesembryanthemumnodiflorum, Atractyles gummifera, Ammophila arenaria,Atriplex halimus and Avena sativa and were shown during spring andsummer seasons by four different sites. Saline depression habitats(site No. 4) had the highest value for coverage percentage, fresh anddry yield (kg/m2) in spring season while (site No. 1) had the highestdry yield in summer season. Superiority dominance of all measurementswas represented by Artemisia monosperma, during summerseason and Zygophyllum album in the spring seaso