Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 91, July 2009, pp. 1-31.

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Flora and Fauna in Palestine

‫الحياة النباتية و الحيوانية في فلسطين‬
By: Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa

A Stunning Variety:
Packed into Palestine's small area are snow-covered mountains, parched deserts, fertile
fields, lush woodlands and long stretches of sand dunes. No less than four different
geographical zones are included in Palestine, and the country's climate ranges from
semi-arid to temperate to subtropical.
All of this makes Palestine home to a stunning variety of plants and animals. Some
47,000 living species have been identified in Palestine, with another 4,000 assumed to
exist. There are 116 species of mammals native to Palestine, 511 kinds of birds, 97 types
of reptiles and nine types of amphibians. Some 2,780 types of plants grow countrywide,
from Alpine flowers on northern mountain slopes to bright red coral peonies and desert
papyrus reeds in the south.

Flora in Palestine:
"A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and
honey." (The Bible).
Much has since been added to this Biblical description of what grows in Palestine.
Bananas, oranges and other citrus fruits dominate the coastal plain. Deciduous fruit
trees grow all over the country, but particularly well in the cool hills. Dates, bananas,
avocado, guava and mango flourish in the hot Jordan valley. The basic grains rub
shoulders with vegetables and tobacco, cotton, groundnuts and sugar beets.
Palestine's landscape of flowers and plants changes abruptly with its different
geographical regions. Natural woodlands of Palestine oaks (Quercus calliprinos) cover
the upper Galilee, Mount Carmel and other hilly regions. In spring, rockrose
Gazelle – Number 91 – July 2009