Euphorbia larica, Almishfah. © J. Herrera 16 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Oman, a natural Garden in danger José Herrera (Spain) 17 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Oman, a natural garden in danger José Herrera (Spain) For a long time, the Sultanate of Oman has been a magnificent country to visit and admire its varied and unique flora. In fact it is not the first time that Oman appears in this magazine. For some years, the intensification of fundamentalism in Islamic countries, together with social revolts, revolutions, coups d’états or civil wars, today Oman is surely the best and safest destination. The peace and tranquility that is breathed in the country has its origin in the only recipe that exists. It has been applied since 1970 with the rise to power of Sultan Qabus, oblivious to the neoliberal fashion. Part of the creation of a welfare state, with magnificent free public services, luxury infrastructures, the empowerment of a solid middle class and an enviable social coverage. Moving around the territory in search of our favorite plants is quite safe, with some magnificent roads, even the secondary ones. If we also add the spectacular nature of its landscapes, its pristine beaches and the friendliness of its Boswellia Sacra. The limestone mountains of Jabal Samhan, from where the best incense in the world is obtained, the quality hojari. © Ángeles Felices 18 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Sultanate of Oman people, this place is surely one of the best choices in this part of the world. Oman is known primarily for the incense tree (Boswellia sacra), laden with millenary history and a multitude of legends, which it shares with Yemen and Somalia. We are also able to see many other plants, with a rich catalog of 1,239 species of vascular plants, of which 191 are of reduced distribution. Of these, 77 are endemic, in which 13 new species were recently included for science. In addition to the Boswellia sacra, a significant number of species were used for their healing properties, fulfilling an important social function when pharmaceutical products were not available. Its use was sustainable and the anthropogenic tensions in its habitats were much reduced. We want to see many of them in their habitat and it is not by chance that they have played a leading role in the last 4,500 years, some for their medicinal properties and others also for the odoriferous qualities of their resin. The modernization of the country, globalization, the implementation of current medicine versus the traditional one, together with the loss of its identity, have made many of these species useless from a pragmatic point of view. Except those with 19 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES fodder properties for cattle; we perceive this as not very sustainable and augur in their preservation a probable dark future. North and center area As the country is too big for the time available, we have chosen to visit the Hajar mountains adjoining the capital Muscat and the southwest up to Dhofar. The route goes through where 76% of the species are found and where there is a greater concentration of interesting specimens. We have doubted if in the few hours that we were going to spend in the capital, it would be worth visiting the Oman Botanic Garden, still in construction since 2006. Pharaonic work that seems to culminate in the same way and time as the great pyramids although there is no doubt that it will rival the most outstanding gardens in the world. In our journey around the old capital Nizwa and the coastal city of Sur, we have focused on visiting towns always associated with oases, with extensive palm groves where the best dates of Oman are collected, such as the so-called Sukary, with a sticky, soft touch, almost creamy, reminiscent of the Jordanian variety Medjoul for its sweetness, texture and high price. These palm groves create a microclimate that allows the cultivation of horticultural products where temperatures can reach 50ºC in summer. The surroundings of these populations are very arid mountains. Dolomitic calcites predominate with karstic formations that act as a hydrographic basin with scarce rainfall and pour it into the ancestral sources that gave rise to these urban centers. In front of the town of Mishfah, 700 m alt., we could observe numerous colonies of very attractive specimens of Euphorbia larica, whose poisonous latex has been used for skin problems and in homeopathic doses as a vermifuge in dromedaries. Associated with this, one could observe some almost creeping plants of Commiphora wightii and a few C. myrrha, without leaves or fruits, with thick trunks and scanty bearing, punished for decades by cattle and drought. In the palm grove of Mishfah we could see the sophisticated use of aqueducts or falaj, inherited from the Nabatean culture. The Muslims expanded them geographically until they were introduced in Spain through Al Andalus (Andalucía, Spain) from the 8th century and, like other pre- industrial technologies, they have survived until a few decades ago. Towards the southwest we visited the other points where the flora is concentrated. They are the ramblas or wadis. In Wadi Tanuf, W. Alshab, W. Bani Khaled, W. Shaab and W. Al Tiwi we have been able to check the variety of vegetation that is distributed along the roadside. There are traces of rains, both sporadic and torrential, the presence of some springs and the proximity of groundwater levels in which it is easy to see Ficus cordata trees. On the sides, hanging from the vertical walls we observed plants of Capparis spinosa that traditionally did not have culinary uses such as Mediterranean capers, but provided a wide range of medicinal remedies in its leaves and tender stems for headaches, ear 20 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Boswellia Sacra flowers with one of its pollinating insects. © J. Herrera Abandoning the incense extraction gives way to other uses of Boswellia sacra, here slaughtered by herds in Sadah and Jufa. © J. Herrera 21 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Boscia arabica, Wadi Tanuff. © J. Herrera Commiphora habessinica whose young shoots are grazed by herds. A Cissus quadrangularis grows aside. West Jabal Al Qara © J. Herrera inflammations, childbirth, etc. In the distance we see two types of trees. One with a large trunk and thick crown that gives it some visual attraction is Boscia arabica, which seems to be adapted to all environments of this country, with its small oval leaves and dense foliage of branches. The other trees, distributed in a scattered manner, have a sparse crown with oblong leaves. They are Moringa peregrina which, like their Indian relative (Moringa oleifera), the oil of the seeds is collected for different uses in medicine and nutrition. Today there is scientific literature confirming its properties, with a high level of antioxidants, proteins, vitamins C and A, calcium, potassium and sodium. In a scattered way, on the steep walls of these environments, we found various specimens of Commiphora habessinica, always located in firm 22 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Calotropis procera, Wadi al Sahb. © J. Herrera areas. In several of them they were with almost ripe fruits, but without a single leaf. We also found several Acacia gerrardii on the roadside. This genus is one of the most ubiquitous in the country, along those growing in the middle of the dry course of the ramblas, Calotropis procera, well adapted to all types of soil and conditions. We could already see it in the huge dunes (ergs) of the Libyan Sahara, but we also know it occuring widespread throughout India and the western Himalayas. If its adaptability is surprising enough, so are the extensive healing properties of all parts of the plant. Its frequent therapeutic use is recorded in Ayurvedic medicine and today they are endorsed by different scientific publications. Along the ramblas we were Ipomoea pes-caprae, Mahout. © Ángeles Felices 23 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Tetraena (ex Zygophyllum) qatarense, Shana. © J. Herrera Acacia is a quasi ubiquitous genus: here, Acacia tortillis, Wadi Shuwaymyah. © J.H. 24 CACTUS-AVENTURES International N° 2-2018 International CACTUS-ADVENTURES Although Wadi Dawkah is a UNESCO-sponsored protected nature reserve, we have seen specimens of Boswellia sacra with obvious signs of being grazed by herds. © J. Herrera able to observe some specimens that were familiar to us. It was not even necessary to come too close to verify that they were oleander (Nerium oleander), but less flowery than in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Near the mouth of the sea we came across several specimens of Ipomoea pes-caprae, always on the coast and in sandy soils. There we see a small succulent plant that reminded us a lot of the so-called maritime Uvilla (Zygophyllum now Tetraena fontanesii) of the Canary Islands. After analyzing it, we verified that it is in fact Tetraena ex Zygophyllum qatarense, very common as we will see later in the arid coast of the central zone. We continued towards the southwest by the road following the coast. Acacia tortilis and Prosopis cineraria predominate with frequent herds of goats and camels in a very arid landscape, where it rains extremely little (50-100 mm/year). In addition to its forage use, P. cineraria also has a well-deserved fame as antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, analgesic and antipyretic in the countries where it is represented. Many of its therapeutic qualities have also been endorsed by scientific research. Southern area.