ABSTRACT

Libya consists of three main local botanical habitats: the coastal, mountainous, and desert habitats with their crossing valleys from south to north and from west to east. The life form distribution among Libyan plants was characterized by a high proportion of herbs. The low number of woody species in the dataset reflects the defensive capabilities of the vegetation in bad conditions i.e., the lack of moisture in Libya. Libya is mostly characterized by arid climatic conditions, except the coastal strip and the northern hills toward the east and the west, while the rest of the country is located under the conditions of desert and semidesert because of its geographical location in terms of latitude. In Libya, there are a lot of ecosystems that range from the coastal environment with all its scattered salt marshes along the coastline, to green plains in the northeastern region and northwest highlands to desert and semidesert ecosystem showing its content of oases and valleys.