VEGETATION AND ENVIRONMENT OF WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL LAND OF EGYPT .4. HABITAT OF NON-SALINE DEPRESSIONS

A phytosociological analysis of non-saline depressions, one of the common habitats of the Mediterranean coastal land of Egypt, indicates that Asphodelus microcarpus and Plantago albicans generally predominate, but due to the remarkable local variations 5 vegetational groups and subgroups are recognized. These are characterized by soil properties which provide clues to the possible links between the habitat on non-saline depressions and other common habitats in the same region. Species distribution in these depressions is largely a product of a long history of human disturbance and it is probably affected by soil texture and CaCO3-content.