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8 plants worth knowing

Tunisia

Tunisia runs from green, rainy Kroumirie in the north-west, through the dry steppes of the centre, to the Sahara in the south. The landscape is dominated by farming – the endless olive groves of the Sahel and Sfax and the date oases of the Djerid – while forests of Aleppo pine and cork oak grow in the mountains.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Arabian jasmine 1

    shrub · National flower of Tunisia

    Arabian jasmine

    Jasminum sambac

    Tunisia’s national flower – jasmine buds are tied into fragrant mashmoum posies that men wear tucked behind the ear.
  2. Olive 2

    tree

    Olive

    Olea europaea

    Tunisia has more than 80 million olive trees – the groves around Sfax stretch all the way to the horizon.
  3. Date palm 3

    palm

    Date palm

    Phoenix dactylifera

    The Djerid oases on the salt lake of Chott el Djerid are famous for Deglet Nour dates, often sold still on their stalks.
  4. Aleppo pine 4

    tree

    Aleppo pine

    Pinus halepensis

    Tunisians make zgougou from the tiny seeds of the Aleppo pine – a creamy dessert eaten to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday.
  5. Rosemary 5

    shrub

    Rosemary

    Salvia rosmarinus

    Fragrant wild rosemary scrub covers the dry mountains of central Tunisia – the country is a major exporter of rosemary oil.
  6. Chili pepper 6

    crop

    Chili pepper

    Capsicum annuum

    Tunisians turn dried hot peppers into harissa, inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022.
  7. Cork oak 7

    tree

    Cork oak

    Quercus suber

    The cork forests of Kroumirie around Ain Draham are the greenest corner of Tunisia and the source of almost all the country’s cork.
  8. Bitter orange 8

    crop

    Bitter orange

    Citrus × aurantium

    On Cap Bon, bitter orange blossom is distilled into flower water and neroli oil – in spring Nabeul smells of orange blossom.