Vegetation of the Arabian PeninsulaS.A. Ghazanfar, M. Fisher The inspiration for this book came from our ten years of journeys and wanderings through the varied landscapes of Arabia, and in particular through those of its hospitable southeastern corner, Oman. We owe a particular debt to Sultan Qaboos University, which during this time has provided us with both a stimulating working environment and a home. Transliteration of Arabic place and other names into English script is a task fraught with difficulties. We have followed 'accepted' spellings wherever these were not contrary to our common sense, and in other cases we have rendered names into Roman English script using phonetic spellings. Our main task in this respect was to ensure conformity between the fIfteen contributing authors. Diacritical signs have mostly been avoided, since their use is neither widely followed nor readily understood. Arabic words which have been commonly taken into the English language, such as 'sabkha' for a salt flat and 'wadi' for a valley with a seasonal watercourse, are not italicised in usage. However, other Arabic terms which are occasionally used in English but not as widely known, such as harrah for a basaltic lava fIeld and hima for a traditional grazing reserve, are italicised throughout the text. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Climate | 5 |
Geology and Geomorphology | 39 |
Biogeography and Introduction to Vegetation | 63 |
Bryopbytes and Lichens | 99 |
Montane and Wadi vegetation | 125 |
Vegetation of the Plains | 175 |
Vegetation of the Sands | 191 |
Coastal and Sabkha Vegetation | 209 |
Water Vegetation | 229 |
Plants of Economic Importance | 241 |
Diversity and Conservation | 265 |
303 | |
329 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abyssinica Acacia ehrenbergiana Acacia tortilis Africa Afromontane al Khali Arab Arabian Gulf Arabian Peninsula Area and altitude arid Asir associated Avicennia marina bryophytes Calligonum Calligonum comosum Caralluma central centre of endemism climate coast coastal plains Commiphora conservation Cornulaca Cyperus conglomeratus Deil desert Dhofar distribution dominated dunes dwarf eastern ehrenbergiana Emirates endemic endemic species escarpment mountains Euphorbia Figure flora Ghazanfar grasses grassland gravel grazing habitats Hajar Halopeplis perfoliata halophytic Haloxylon Haloxylon salicornicum islands IUCN Management Category Juniperus Juniperus procera Khali khawrs km² Kürschner Kuwait lichens limestone Mandaville mangroves monsoon montane Müller-Hohenstein Nafud northern Nubo-Sindian occur Panicum turgidum perennial Phytochorion plant communities plateau procera protected areas Qatar rain rainfall rangelands Red Sea rock sabkha Saharo-Sindian regional zone saline sandy Saudi Arabia shrublands shrubs slopes Socotra soil southwest southwestern Stipagrostis Suaeda subsp succulent surface Tamarix taxa Threats to vegetation Tihamah trees tropical Wadi western Wildlife woodlands xeromorphic Yemen Zygophyllum