PRESENTATION May 6, 2007

IDENTITY CARD

- Vernacular name: Argan tree, Argan, iron wood

- Scientific name: Argania Spinosa

-Family : Sapotaceae

- Average height : 8 – 10 metres

-Average life : 150 – 250 years

 

GEOGRAPHIC DISPERSION

1 – Story

The argan tree is on the earth maybe since the tertiary. At this period there was perhaps a connexion between the Moroccan seacoast and the Canary island. After this tree has been disseminating on a great part of this Morocco at quaternary. There has been a glacial period who leave this tree only on certain area like the south-west and some next to the north and the Mediterranean cost. Today the most of them are in the Souss region.

In fact, we can find it now in the southeast of Morocco specially in the Souss plain. It for this mind we can say that it’s an endemic tree.

We can ask us Why this tree grow up only in the Southern of Morocco?

TREE FEATURES

1 – Silhouette

 

- In general

It has a particular silhouette. It has a large and round summit, a knobbly bole, intricate and rather short most often with many interwoven part. It have thorny branch. It’s for this they called it “spinosa”.

-The Wood and the leafs

The argan tree have a really hard wood called “ iron wood ”. The leafs are green dark and tough. They are eating by camel and goat who don’t hesitate to climb at branch.

-Flowers and fruit

There are white and yellow flowers who appear in May-June. These flowers give yellow-brown fruits at maturity who is formed by a pulpy pericarp all around the hard stone.

In this stone there are tree oily almonds. The fruit is oval and measure approximately 30 mm. One tree produces 8 kg of fruits by years.

This tree have an environmental role, it can assure an ecological balance. In fact with its roots system who grow in depth it can protect soil against erosion. It enrich the soil also with the leafs, the fruits and also with the vegetation who grow under the tree.

3 – Climate

The argan tree is really resistant to high temperature. In fact he is perfectly adapted at the southeast Moroccan aridity and can support until 50°C. It doesn’t need a lot of water and a lot of soil. But it can support a low pluviometry and can grow up in cliff.

4 – To the future

There are people who work on this tree to discover the specificity. In fact, there are scientist like Mrs Zoubida Charrouf who work on this tree to have scientific knowledge on the oil and other argan products.

There is also agency like IDRC (International Development Research Centre) who had worked for the development of argan oil treatment cooperative managed by woman.

UTILIZATION

This tree is use to different products. We can quote products like Oil extract of the almond and use in cosmetic, in pharmaceutical or in feeding or the (tourteau) for the cattle fattening. This oil has a great food value that have a great place in population economy. We use also the wood like combustible and to joinery. The leafs and the fruit are use for the fodder.

The firewood and the alimentary oil are use today by some 3 million of rural people. They play a part social and economic in the countryside population who allow limiting the rural exodus.

BE CAREFUL

Unfortunately the argon tree is in danger in the plain of Souses. The trees are cut down. It’s really shame that this heritage so be it destroy when you know that you can find it only in Morocco.

So what can we to do? What the government can to do?