The Plain of Sharon, the low lying lands along the coast of Israel, was once marshy probably for much of the length of the Country. There are archeological remains of Roman cuttings which drained parts of it. Modern drainage, being entirely more thorough, has left almost none of the original habitat … save a few small relics … present in living memory … Papyrus has been recorded in several such places, but even they have now disappeared and only one potential site , where it has been found remains. Pity because there’s some very interesting material been preserved from this area … but more of that later.
The last natural site to check-out in Israel, sadly there are so very few left and it hasn't been recorded in many for many years.
Marshes south of Tel Itshak, near Tel Aviv
A small but, when you’re fighting your way through it, seemingly never-ending area of marsh survives south of Tel Itshak, not far north of Tel Aviv. This area was searched at length and found to hold much suitable habitat with a wide area of standing water in the middle. It comprised vast stands of very dense Typha (T. cf. domingensis and T. latifolia L.), easily tall enough to hide the Papyrus, which, so far in Israel, has never exceeded 3m in height, probably better searched with a helicopter or a very large ladder as used in mazes in Great Britain. An aerial approach is probably the only way to be sure Papyrus no longer grows here. The surrounding farmland is also very flat, so provided no vantage points from which to survey the marshes, even with binoculars. There may have been other areas of standing water but the itinerary and difficulty of access without causing major damage to the swamp vegetation, not to mention physical difficulties, prevented exhaustive searches from being undertaken.
The edge of the swamp with an impenetrable looking barrier of tall reeds and scrub some 30 feet deep. Once through, achieved by brute force with many scratches, prickles and scrapes...
... drier areas were reached which led into the swamp proper, which was dominated by Typha spp.
The standing water was reached, algal bloom can be seen in the foreground. It is surrounded by tall, dense Typha spp.
Despite fighting through to a large expanse of open water, entirely, seemingly, suitable for Papyrus, and searched at length, none was found. The water did have algal growth, suggesting there may be agricultural run-off affecting the place, perhaps the Papyrus is sensitive to it, this is not known. Papyrus, therefore, cannot be ruled out at this site, yet.
I should like to thank my guide to the localities and former localities of Papyrus in Israel, Yair Ur. Yair is an extremely knowledgeable local botanist who helped me in every aspect of my search, including plunging into every river and pretty much every swamp when necessity demanded, without a moment’s hesitation. Yair also, by accompanying me everywhere in the field, provided a key component of my personal safety strategy.
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