The ecological status of the carob-tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Leguminosae) in the Mediterranean

Abstract

The present distribution of the carob-tree ( Ceratonia siliqua L.) throughout the coastal regions of the Mediterranean, the route followed from its possible place of origin in southern Arabia and the Horn of Africa, and the possible circumstances of the tree's domestication are discussed in the light of botanical, archaeological, historical and philological evidence. It is shown that the genus Ceratonia formed part of the wild flora of western Europe in preglacial times, that C. siliqua was present in ancient times in the Middle East and that its spread to the western Mediterranean area took place progressively, possibly beginning in the second millennium BC . From the fact that, except in the case of Greece and southern Italy, most of the names applied to the tree today in European languages are linked to Arabic, it is inferred that today's cultivars were probably selected by Muslims in the Middle Ages.

Palynological and chemical volatile components of typically autumnal honeys of the western Mediterranean

“…Its value was recognised by the ancient Greeks, who brought it from Middle East to Greece and Italy and by the Romans and Arabs, who disseminated it along the North African coast and northwards into Spain and Portugal (Batlle & Tous, 1997;Ramón-Laca & Mabberley, 2004). Nowadays, the main carob populations -spontaneous (feral) and cultivated -are concentrated predominantly in Spain and in the south of Italy (mainly in Sicily), Morocco, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Algeria.…”

Status and prospects for the conservation of remnant semi-natural carob Ceratonia siliqua L. populations in Lebanon

“…The carob has been used historically as feed for domesticated animals, and the most currently known cultivars of the carob tree were probably selected much later by the Arabs (Ramón- Laca and Mabberley, 2004). Beside its historic use as a staple in the diet of domesticated animals, the fruit was also eaten by children as snacks or by people in times of famine.…”

A strong east–west Mediterranean divergence supports a new phylogeographic history of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua, Leguminosae) and multiple domestications from native populations

“…Despite its economic and cultural importance in the Mediterranean and the long‐standing interest of botanists (e.g. de Candolle, ), the status of the carob tree as a native species of the west Mediterranean vegetation is still source of debate (Baumel et al, ; Ramon‐Laca & Mabberley, ) and a phylogeographic study was still pending.…”

“…The genus Ceratonia has been present in the Mediterranean for millions of years and scattered occurrences from the Oligocene to the Pliocene suggest a large ancestral distribution (e.g. Palamarev, ) followed by a strong decline due to Pleistocene climate changes (Ramon‐Laca & Mabberley, ). Archaeological, historical and philological evidences suggest a westward human‐driven dissemination of C .…”

“…Archaeological, historical and philological evidences suggest a westward human‐driven dissemination of C . siliqua (reviewed in Ramon‐Laca & Mabberley, ). This widely accepted ‘eastern refugium hypothesis’ (ERH) postulates a single eastern refugium and a human‐driven dissemination concomitant with its domestication based on three arguments.…”