Introduction

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This review was undertaken to document the endemic flora of Lebanon, as no previous comprehensive list of such flora was available. Ongoing taxonomic revisions, combined with recent advances in molecular studies, have resulted in significant changes in our understanding of the endemic flora of Lebanon. In particular, many plant species that were previously considered endemic to Lebanon have now been found to have a wider distribution, while others that were not previously recognized as endemic have been shown to be so.

Previous research on the topic has reported widely varying estimates of the number of endemic species in Lebanon. For instance, while some reports suggest that there are 154 "stricly endemic" among the 2612 specific and subspecific taxa (Tohm. & Tohm. 2014), others estimate that there are 92 endemic species of an estimated 2790 species of vascular plants in the country (Radford et al. 2011). In this revision, we have identified a total of 90 endemic plant species in Lebanon, which we believe to be a more accurate and reliable estimate.

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Method

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To confirm that a plant is endemic, we employed a comprehensive approach that involved a review of available online databases and relevant literature. We verified the endemic status of each plant species by cross-referencing it with at least two reputable online databases, including KEW, GBIF, and E+M. Furthermore, we consulted the flora of Lebanon and Syria by Mouterde P. in three volumes published in 1966, 1970, and 1984, respectively, to ensure the accuracy of our findings. We also examined relevant taxonomic revisions and molecular studies to verify the endemic status of each species. To be included in our list, a plant species had to be recognized as endemic by at least three independent sources, in accordance with widely accepted standards for documenting endemic flora.

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Findings

As a result of this review, our findings show a total of  90 plant species (Table.1 & 2) that can be considered endemic to Lebanon, of which 7 are possibly extinct, 10 endemic to Lebanon and Mount Hermon (Table.2) and other 6 that still need more research:

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• Orobanche hermonis Mouterde

• Rosularia kesrouanensis Mouterde

• Erophila gilgiana (Muschl.) O.E.Schulz

• Gypsophila frankenioides var. libanotica Boiss.

• Rhododendron ponticum var. brachycarpum Boiss.

• Allium chloranthum var. montanum Boiss.

Of the 90 endemic, 15 are considered by IUCN as critically endangered, 38 endangered and 9 Vulnerable. 

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Additionally, our findings indicate that 33 plant species (as shown in Table.3), which were previously considered endemic to Lebanon, cannot be confirmed as such. The reason for this is the discovery of the same species in other countries or the identification of distinct varieties or subspecies. We would like to note that during our fieldwork in Mount Sannine, we discovered two plant species, Allium pseudostamineum Kollmann & Shmida and Linum toxicum Boiss.,  previously believed to be endemic to Mount Hermon. The latter was also reported by Mouterde from the summit of Mount Hermon, but it appears to have been found in Jordan as well (POWO - 2023). 

Plants that are native to Lebanon and found on Mount Hermon have also been documented in Syria and Northern Palestine/Israel. Due to the military and border issues in the region, conducting field work is not feasible. Therefore, we compiled a separate table that includes the plants endemic to Lebanon and Mount Hermon. (Table.2) 

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We also observed that plants are occasionally recorded as being present in Syria instead of Lebanon. This is likely because the records predate 1943, which is the year when Lebanon gained independence. 

5 species still need to be recognised by the plant databases in ordre to add them to the list:

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• Vicia narbonensis var. libani

• Allium libani var. tannourensis

• Crocus baalbekensis K. Addam & M. Bou Hamdan

• Romulea jezzinis K. Addam & M. Bou-Hamdan

• Romulea libanotica K. Addam & M. Bou-Hamdan

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