Phytotaxa 338 (1): 001–016 ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition) http://www.mapress.com/j/pt/ PHYTOTAXA Copyright © 2018 Magnolia Press Article ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.338.1.1 Towards an updated checklist of the Libyan flora AHMED M. H. GAWHARI1, 2, STEPHEN L. JURY 2 & ALASTAIR CULHAM 2 1 Botany Department, Cyrenaica Herbarium, Faculty of Sciences, University of Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya E-mail:
[email protected] 2 University of Reading Herbarium, The Harborne Building, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Read- ing, RG6 6AS, U.K. E-mail:
[email protected]. E-mail:
[email protected]. Abstract The Libyan flora was last documented in a series of volumes published between 1976 and 1989. Since then there has been a substantial realignment of family and generic boundaries and the discovery of many new species. The lack of an update or revision since 1989 means that the Libyan Flora is now out of date and requires a reassessment using modern approaches. Here we report initial efforts to provide an updated checklist covering 43 families out of the 150 in the published flora of Libya, including 138 genera and 411 species. Updating the circumscription of taxa to follow current classification results in 11 families (Coridaceae, Guttiferae, Leonticaceae, Theligonaceae, Tiliaceae, Sterculiaceae, Bombacaeae, Sparganiaceae, Globulariaceae, Asclepiadaceae and Illecebraceae) being included in other generally broader and less morphologically well-defined families (APG-IV, 2016). As a consequence, six new families: Hypericaceae, Adoxaceae, Lophiocarpaceae, Limeaceae, Gisekiaceae and Cleomaceae are now included in the Libyan Flora.