SAMPLE Wandering through Wadis A nature-lover’s guide to the flora of South Sinai Bernadette Simpson Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt This PDF is a sample, containing 10 entries in the directory of plants, given for free as a preview to the complete publication. To learn more visit www.bernadettesimpson.com SAMPLE Copyright © 2013 by Bernadette Simpson Wandering through Wadis: A nature-lover’s guide to the flora of South Sinai Published by NimNam Books ~ February 2013 ISBN 13 (PDF): 978-0-9859718-1-6 ISBN 13 (Paperback): 978-0-9859718-2-3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. Contact the author at: [email protected] Table of Contents Author’s Note......................................................... 7 Introduction Sinai ~ The Land and Flora ...........….…........... 8 Sinai ~ The People ………………………….…11 Directory of South Sinai Plants............................. 13 The directory contains 104 different entries - 63 at the species level and 41 at the genus level. The plants are arranged alphabetically, by their scientific (Latin) name. For each entry, common English and Arabic names are provided, as well as a description, and lists SAMPLEof similar species and practical uses. Glossary..............................................................…125 Index of Plants in Directory.................................. 126 List of Plants by Region........................................ 127 Working List of Other Plant Species in Sinai...….128 References.............................................................131 About the Author/Acknowledgements…………133 Author’s Note “If you want to learn about something, write a book about it.” I am not a botanist; I am a curious nature-lover and amateur photographer, passionate about the natural and cultural heritage of south Sinai. I moved here with my husband in 2007 and one of our favourite past-times has been wandering through the desert wadis. Wandering. It's a type of walking that allows me to claim no destination, no predetermined path. No one hurrying me along to arrive at a scheduled appointment. A type of walking that allows me to observe, to photograph, to wonder. A walk that allows me the freedom to follow a crack in the mountains because a bright yellow bloom has caught my eye. After being blessed with winter rains for two consecutive seasons (2009 and 2010), the wadis of south Sinai went wild with blooms and I wandered hours on end with my camera in hand and an insatiable desire to capture their fragile beauty with my lens. In my attempts to identify these desert plants, I began my studies. My learning journey was long and sometimes frustrating but, in the end, rewarding. The invaluable information provided in others’ research and guide books, and the knowledge and experience shared by my dear Bedouin friends and guides, contributed greatly to my own learning and enabled me in the end to create my ownSAMPLE guidebook of images and information. Not being a botanist means that I deal with many plants at the genus level, when closer observation and specialized knowledge is needed to identify individual species. As a curious nature-lover, I am content with this level of knowledge. In addition to this guidebook, I have begun a Wildlife of the Sinai Peninsula mission on Project Noah.org, an online portal for citizen scientists and nature-lovers to upload and share images, and identify the flora and fauna they encounter. You will find many of the plants in this guide as part of this mission. But you will also find dozens of images of the local desert critters ~ spiders, birds, butterflies, lizards, dragonflies, snakes, and even a fox. Check it out. And join us! As this book goes to publication in February 2013, Sinai is again being blessed with a wet rainy season, promising an abundantly green spring. It is my hope that this guidebook will help other desert-lovers learn more about Sinai’s rich natural heritage. ~ Bernadette Simpson Wandering through Wadis Introduction Sinai ~ The People The original inhabitants of the Sinai peninsula were bedouin, traditionally nomadic pastoralists who journeyed through the desert in search of fresh pasture for their herds of sheep, goats, and camels. Today, the majority of Bedouin in south Sinai lead a sedentary lifestyle, staying in one place for most of the year. They live in towns that have developed over the past 30 years – Ras Sudr, El Tor, Abu Rudeis, Dahab, Nuweiba, as well as various smaller villages - and many work in the tourism industry as drivers, safari guides, or dive guides. But many continue to also raise domesticated animals. And most continue to have a strong, passionate connection to the desert. There are plenty of “settled” Bedouin who, come springtime, pack their trucks with a tent, blankets, utensils, supplies – and together with their goats and sheep – head to the mountains where the pasture is best for their herds. Traditionally, Bedouin are well respected for their knowledge of the desert and its useful plants, although as their lifestyle changes, so does their knowledge of the local flora. When asking my Bedouin friends about a plant's name or usage, I was often referred to the elders and told that the younger generations, sadly, know very little. Much of the information about the practical uses of the desert plants in this guide comes from research conducted by Bailey and Danin (1981). They report that during their 6-year survey they “encountered no plant that was not useful to the bedouins in one way or another” (p.145). Plants are an important part of traditional Bedouin culture and provide nutrition,SAMPLE medicine, or the material needed to build various tools, equipment, and other useful items. Plants are also used in ceremonies and rites of passages and are commonly referred to in Bedouin poetry. Over half of the place names in Sinai come from plant names. There's 'Ain Za'atar, the Spring of Thyme, and Farsh al Rummana, the Place of Pommegranates, and Abu Hibayig, the Place with Mint, just to name a few. Plant names have also served as inspiration for the naming of children. And like many cultures, Bedouins associate life and vitality with the color green. A generous and friendly person may be referred to by Bedouin as “having a green face” (wijhih akhdhar). Bailey and Danin also report that every species of desert plant is eaten by at least one of the animals that Bedouin raise – goats, sheep, camels, or donkeys. Of course, each animal has preferred plants, but the animals eat every sort of plant. Some plants may make goats and camels ill, but not donkeys. Other plants are poisonous only at certain stages of growth but can be eaten when they are young. For example, young henbane (Hyoscyamus sp) can be ingested with no ill effects, but older plants intoxicate the animals . Donkeys will eat the poisonous Anabasis syriaca but only after it has dried up. Seasons also determine which plants the animals eat. If there has been a winter rainy season, December to April are the best months for pasture. This is when the annuals are in bloom, including many plants in the daisy and cabbage families. These fresh herbs help the animals produce plenty of milk. Once the khamseen winds start to blow and the heat wave begins in May, most annual herbs dry up and the animals begin to eat different straw-like annuals as well as semi-shrubs Simpson Wandering through Wadis such as wormwoods (Artemisia sp.) and Gymnocarpus decandrus. August to November are the most difficult months for pasture. Animals feed during this time on Acacia pods and other shrubs and bushes that they avoid at other times, like Achillea fragrantissima, Atriplex halimus, and Zygophyllum dumosum. However, without rain and new annuals to eat, pasturing goats will not get enough nourishment from these plants to lactate. As a result, many of the kids born in the fall would not survive. For nomadic peoples, this is when they would pack up and move on in search of pasture elsewhere. The Bedouin who still raise animals today collect fodder from the desert for their animals. It is not uncommon in Dahab to see pick-up trucks return to town with their beds full of plants, like Shouwia purpurea, to supplement their goats' diet. For their milk is important in many ways. With their goats' milk, Bedouin women create a hard, salty cheese ('afeeg) and ghee, or clarified butter (samin), that can be stored for many months. The best time for doing this is of course, if there has been rain, in the spring after the goats have had their full of the tasty annual herbs. This is also the perfect time for a desert safari in Sinai. Not only will you be able to see the desert in bloom, but you may be able to meet the Bedouin women and get a lesson in cheese-making. A desert safari with a trusted and knowledgeable Bedouin guide is the best way to truly understand the bounty of the desert and the powerful connection betweenSAMPLE the land and its people. “Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time.” Simpson Wandering through Wadis Directory of Plants in South Sinai The directory contains 104 different entries - 63 at the species level and 41 at the genus level. The plants are arranged alphabetically, by their scientific (Latin) name. Along with images, for each entry, you will also find: Species in Sinai: Always provided when plants are discussed at the genus level. Each list of species is a compilation of those reported in various scholarly journals and books.