1 Mediterranean Botany 45(1), e82370, 2024 Diversity and characteristics of the melliferous flora of Moroccan Macaronesia (Territory of Sidi Ifni) Awatif Ben Lekbir 1 , Fatima-Zahra Yous 1 , Ahmed Ouhamou 1 & Mohamed Alifriqui 1 Received: 4 June 2022 /Accepted: 28 August 2023 / Published online: 22 April 2024 Abstract. The melliferous flora of Central Western Morocco, specifically within the Ait Baâmrane territory of Sidi Ifni Province, was investigated between 2016 and 2018 through surveys conducted among beekeepers. The plants foraged by bees were collected, identified, and listed. A total of 117 melliferous species were recorded, constituting 41.64% of the total flora of the study area, which encompasses 281 species. These species belong to 98 genera and 40 families. The Compositae family claims the highest representation at 17.95%, followed by Lamiatae and Leguminosae at 6.84%. Among the identified geographical zones, the continental mountainous region (Zone C) boasts the highest diversity in terms of plant habitats and species count, followed by the plateau and hills zone (Zone B), and lastly, the littoral zone (Zone A). The region stands out for its remarkable rate of endemism, accounting for 20.51% of the 117 melliferous species. Nevertheless, several species are categorized as rare and endangered taxa, totaling 10 species. Regarding their biological types, Therophytes make up 36.75% of the foraged species, closely followed by Chamaephytes at 17.95%. Concerning flowering periods, the phenomenon occurs consistently throughout the year. Notably, spring is the dominant season, representing 42.45% of the plants, succeeded by summer at 28.98% and then winter and autumn at 15%, 10% and 13.47%, respectively. Bees strongly prefer melliferous plants adorned with yellow flowers (33.33%), followed by white flowers (30.77%). The plants mentioned in the study are sought after by bees either for their nectar and pollen (74.36%), solely for pollen (15.38%), or exclusively for nectar (8.55%). Considering the endangered status of certain melliferous species, this study underscores the critical importance of conserving the melliferous flora. Such conservation efforts are crucial to enhance and sustain the beekeeping sector in the region. Keywords: Ait Baâmrane, melliferous species, nectar, pollen, beekeeping, diversity, Morocco. How to cite: Ben Lekbir, A., Yous, F.-Z., Ouhamou, A. & Alifriqui, M. 2024. Diversity and characteristics of the melliferous flora of Moroccan Macaronesia (Territory of Sidi Ifni). Mediterr. Bot. 45(1), e82370 https://doi.org/10.5209/mbot.82370 1 Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnologies, Agrosciences & Environment (BioMAgE), Herbarium Mark, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University. Marrekech, BP2390, 40000 Morocco. Email: awatif.ben-lekbir@edu.uca.ac.ma; yousfatimazahra@gmail.com; ouhammou@uca.ac.ma; alifriqui@uca.ma Mediterranean Botany ISSNe 2603-9109 https://doi.org/10.5209/mbot.82370 Introduction Honey is produced by bees from nectar and honeydew harvests which are modified by the action of particular enzymes. It is essentially made up of carbohydrates, water and minor elements, and notably pollen grains that make it possible to determine the plant species used by bees (Piroux, 2014). The quality of the honey collected depends on the nature of the plant species whose flowers are foraged and also the physical environment of where the plant lives (Bakenga et al., 2000). Because of its important floristic, faunistic and landscape diversity, Morocco is endowed with an important and unique beekeeping potential. Conferring it a great originality, the country makes it one of the most interesting regions on the biological and biogeographical level (Anon., 1997). Honey production in Morocco plays an important socioeconomic role as a factor in the fight against poverty and as a source of supply for the local market. The Government of Morocco actively supports Moroccan beekeeping through the Green Morocco Plan (PMV). With the variety of plants found throughout the country’s various regions, honey production in Morocco is crucial. The most well-known honey on a national level includes thyme honey, eucalyptus honey, euphorbia honey, rosemary honey, lavender honey, orange honey, carob honey, arbutus honey and jujube honey. In the Moroccan tradition, euphorbia and thyme honey are also regarded as medicines (Moujanni et al., 2017). On the ecological level, the bee is decisive and sometimes even vital at the pollination level of plant species. Thus, the pollination of plant species by bees plays a crucial ecological role in maintaining biological diversity and the perenniality of these species. (Bertrand, 2015). In Morocco, three breeds of bees predominate two black, Apis mellifera intermissa known as tellienne bee and Apis mellifera major, and one golden yellow, Apis mellifera sahariensis (Moujanni et al., 2017). The golden yellow bee is the one that characterizes the study ARTICLES