About

Flora Palaestina (Latin) is the name used by botanist botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1756, to describe plants native to the land between the Mediterranean eastern coast to the west and Syrian and Jordanian deserts to the east, bordered by the mountains of Lebanon to the North and the desert of Sinai in the south. Today, this area covers the Palestinian territories, Israel, Jordan, and the Golan Heights (Syria). Flora Palaestina is also the name of the principal taxonomy key for the flora of the region.

The flower “portraits” were photographed by Melissa Manning, who lived in the Middle East for thirty years. Creating these cards is her way of wrestling with God in the midst of the unimaginable devastation and suffering taking place in Gaza, sharing Beauty as a response to tragedy.