Argania, la Maison de l'Arganier

 
  

   
  

  

  BOTANICAL 
  NAME : ARGANIA 
  SPINOSA.

   
  

  USUAL 
  NAME : ARGAN TREE.

  

   ORIGIN 
  : SOUSS VALLEY, 
  MAROCCO.

   

   
  

  

  Originating 
  along the Moroccan Atlantic south,

  this oleaginous tree is unknown anywhere else on the 
  planet.

   
  

  

  

  A 
  survivor from the tertiary era, it is a very resistant 
  tree

  perfectly adapted to poor soils. A wild tree, it grows

  totally at the mercy of nature's whims.

  

  

  

  Last 
  rempart against the ever-incroaching desert areas

  of this geographic region, the thorny Argan tree is 
  a true providence

  for the rural population who shares its habitat.

  

   

  

  Nevertheless 
  it has constituted the anchor

  of the Berbers' traditional agricultural system.

  living on the borders of the Argan forest, they use 
  it for heating and lamber,

  as a source of food for their livestock and, above 
  all,

  for the extraordinary Argan oil that is produced from 
  this oleaginous tree.

  Since centuries women know how to extract from the 
  fruits of the Argan tree

  this edible virgin oil with exceptional virtues.

   
  

  

  

  The 
  Argan forest consist about 20 million trees

  and covers 800 000 hectares (1 976 000 acres).

   

  Since 1998, a large part of 
  it has been listed as a Biosphere reserve

  by the Man 
  And Biosphere (M.A.B.) program of U.N.E.S.C.O.



  

  The 
  Biosphere reserves are sites that receive their seal

  from U.N.E.S.C.O. 
  for their willingness to reconcile

  the protection of nature and human development.

  They must respect a rational use of their natural 
  resources

  and an ecological management of their territory.

  These reserves provide a scientific base through which 
  the improvement

  of interactions between humans and his environment 
  can be accomplished.

  

   
  

  

  Obstinate 
  and tenacious, Argan tree commands respect and admiration.

  It shows an exceptional vitality that allows its survival 
  in a region of the globe

  where temperatures (more than 50°C / 120 OF in 
  the Taroudant region),

  limited precipitations (usually less than 200 millimeters 
  annually)

  and the intrinsic poverty of the soils would discourage 
  the hardiest of trees.

  

  

  

  For 
  thousands of years, this extraordinary

  oleaginous tree has offered its bounty to mankind.

  Unique in heritage and almost indestructible, the 
  Argan tree will,

  however, disappear if we do not protect it more efficiently

  against its only true enemy: uncontrolled population 
  growth with

  the overexploitation and the environmental degradation 
  that result from it.

Contact 
  us: info@argania.org

  Comptoir Argania : 95 bis, rue de Crimée - 
  75019 Paris

  TEL. : +33 (0)1 42 02 50 15 - FAX : +33 (0)1 42 02 
  50 25

  

   
   
  

  

  Argania, 
  la Maison de l'Arganier

  A 
  registred trademark since 1997

  All rights reserved