ChroMorocco

Introduction

The conception of a comprehensive database for Moroccan plant chromosome numbers was initiated in 2018 at the Laboratory of Botany and Valorization of Plant and Fungal Resources - BOVAREF, Faculty of Science, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, by Ph.D. students Abdelkarim GOUNSSA and Zakaria OUAREG, under the supervision of Pr. Dr. Ahmed El ABOUDI and Pr. Dr. Hikmat TAHIRI. The initial phase of this project begin with a systematic collection of published documents on karyological studies of Moroccan Asteraceae. Particular attention was paid to the accuracy of geographic data: GPS coordinates provided in the publications were meticulously verified against the corresponding textual locality descriptions, while records that included only textual locations were carefully georeferenced and converted into precise GPS coordinates. In collaboration with Pr. Dr. Nabila ZRIRA from the ADOS team at the LISTD Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Mines-Rabat School (ENSMR), this initiative has taken shape as a structured and sustainable scientific database. Currently focused on Asteraceae, the database will progressively expand to include other plant families (with or without established chromosome number).

In Moroccan vascular flora, the Asteraceae family ranks first in terms of specific wealth, with 550 species and 126 subspecies belonging to around 128 genera. Centaurea being the richest genus with 51 species. Moreover, according to the rate of endemics, this family is ranked third with 24% right after Lamiaceae and Plumbaginaceae with respectively 40 % and 28% (Fennane & Ibn Tattou 2012). In terms of aromatic and medicinal plants, Asteraceae with 36 species rank first, followed by Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Fabaceae with respectively 30, 28 and 20 species (Gounssa et al., 2018).

Morocco occupies a strategic floristic position at the crossroad of major biogeographic regions, in addition to an extensive coastlines extending approximately 3500 km along both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea (Snoussi et al., 2008). This geographical location results in remarkable habitat and ecosystem diversity, influenced by Mediterranean-type climates along coastal zones and a climatic gradient ranging from arid Saharan conditions in the south to humid oceanic climates in the north (Rankou et al., 2012; Gharnit et al., 2024). The country exhibits a significant topographic variation, with montane climates occurring at the summits of major mountain ranges including the Middle Atlas, High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, and Rif, where peaks reach elevations of 2,000 to 4,167 meters (Rankou et al., 2012; Outourakhte et al., 2025).