FLORE Repository istituzionale dell'Università degli Studi di Firenze Contribution to the Flora of Central-Southern Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) Questa è la Versione finale referata (Post print/Accepted manuscript) della seguente pubblicazione: Original Citation: Contribution to the Flora of Central-Southern Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) / S. Mosti; M. Raffaelli; M. Tardelli. - In: WEBBIA. - ISSN 0083-7792. - STAMPA. - 67(1)(2012), pp. 65-91. Availability: This version is available at: 2158/654870 since: Terms of use: Open Access La pubblicazione è resa disponibile sotto le norme e i termini della licenza di deposito, secondo quanto stabilito dalla Policy per l'accesso aperto dell'Università degli Studi di Firenze (https://www.sba.unifi.it/upload/policy-oa-2016-1.pdf) Publisher copyright claim: (Article begins on next page) 08 October 2021 Webbia 67(1): 65-91. 2012 Contribution to the Flora of Central-Southern Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) STEFANO MOSTI, MAURO RAFFAELLI, MARCELLO TARDELLI Centro Studi Erbario Tropicale dell’Università Via G. La Pira 4 - 50121 Firenze (Italia) e-mail: stefano.mosti@unifi .it Accepted 15 March 2012 Contributo alla Flora del Dhofar centro-meridionale (Sultanato dell’Oman) — Dal 2000 al 2009 sono state effettuate 10 missioni scientifi che dedicate all’esplorazione fl oristica del Dhofar centro meridionale (Oman). Le raccolte hanno interessato i litorali sabbiosi, la pianura costiera e numerosi wadis che sboccano nell’Oceano Indiano (da Rachyut, Al Mughsayl, Salalah, Khor Rori, Mirbat, Hadbin fi no ad Hasik). Particolare attenzione è stata dedicata all’esplorazione dei versanti monsonici delle montagne (soprattutto Jabal Qara) dove si concentra la maggiore ricchezza fl oristica e il mag- gior numero di taxa endemici. Raccolte sono state effettuate anche su Jabal Samhan, la montagna più alta del Dhofar, e nell’area pre-desertica di Wadi Andur, alle spalle di Jabal Samhan. Sono state inoltre indagate quelle aree dove ancor oggi sono presenti i maggiori nuclei di Boswellia sacra, l’albero dell’incenso, come Al Mughsayl, Adownib, Aluf, Uyun, Wadi Dowkah e Hasik. Sporadiche esplorazioni sono state effettuate nella vasta area pre-desertica che, oltre Thumrayt, si spinge verso nord fi no al confi ne con l’Arabia Saudita, da Muddy, Al Mathafah, Ginan Bin Nawatish fi no a Shisr (l’antica Ubar), Sayh al Kharyat e Dawka. In totale sono state esaminate 233 stazioni di raccolta che nel loro complesso coprono dettagliatamente l’area del Dhofar centro-meridionale. L’elenco fl oristico riporta 606 taxa di cui alcuni sono segnalati per la prima volta o per l’Oman (17 taxa) o per il Dhofar (13 taxa). Numerose sono le specie endemiche rinvenute (14 endemismi del Dhofar, 35 endemismi regionali: Dhofar/Oman e Yemen) presenti soprattutto sui versanti monsonici delle montagne costiere. Key words: Flora, Dhofar, Oman. Dhofar is a large region of the Sultanate of Oman response to two coexisting main factors: one is the bordering Yemen on the west and extending eastward presence of a chain of mountains parallel to the coast for about 250 km. The northern boundary of Dhofar and extending eastwards for about 250 km from the spreads into the Ar Rub al Kali, the Saudi Arabian Yemen border until the Gulf of Hasik, and the other desert, while its southern part faces the Arabian Sea. are the monsoons. Some different phytogeographical zones, each one From June to September during the southwest with its peculiar fl ora and vegetation, may be detect- monsoon, the mist and clouds full of rain approach- ed, as described by Radcliffe-Smith (1980), Miller & ing from the Arabian Sea encounter a natural obstacle Morris (1988) and Ghazanfar (1992b, 2003). Local that precludes them from going further inland. As variations of fl ora and vegetation in Dhofar are the a consequence the steep slopes of the coastal moun- Centro Studi Erbario Tropicale, Università di Firenze – Pubbl. n. 122. 66 S. Mosti , M. Raffaelli, M. Tardelli tains facing south (in particular from Jabal Sayk to to Jabal Qara) and in areas still rich in frankincense Jabal Qara) are covered with a luxuriant vegetation trees (Boswellia sacra): e.g. Al Mughsayl, Wadi Ad- of woods, shrubs and grassland. On the other side of ownib, Aluf, Uyun, Wadi Dowkah and Hasik. We the mountains, instead, where the monsoon has little also collected on the upper part of Jabal Samhan, the or no effect, the vegetation is sparse with isolated highest mountain of Dhofar and on the semi-desert trees and shrubs. The northern sides of the coastal area of Wadi Andur (beyond Jabal Samhan), and ex- chain slope down gradually to form a stony and arid plored some other semi-desert environments north highland where many wadis have their source and to Thumrayt, i.e. Muddy, Al Mathafah, Ginan Bin penetrate northward into a vast semi-desert level land Nawatish, with sporadic excursions to Shirs (the an- interrupted by rounded hillocks. Towards the border cient Ubar), Sayh al Kharyat and Dawkah. with Saudi Arabia the rocky desert changes gradual- This program has been carried out in cooperation ly into a sand desert with high more or less parallel with IMTO (Italian Mission to Oman), supervised dunes where vegetation is scarce or absent. by Prof. A. Avanzini (Pisa University) and support- ed by the Offi ce of the Advisor for Cultural Affairs, Sultanate of Oman (Muscat and Salalah). The Funds The fl oristic exploration of Dhofar PRIN (National Interest Research Projects) of the years 2004 and 2007 and the Tropical Herbarium of A. Radcliffe-Smith (1980) was the fi rst botanist to Florence University, offered the necessary fi nancial produce a list of Dhofar plants; in 1977 he participat- support to this research program. ed with other researchers to a scientifi c survey of fl ora The specimens collected are now conserved in the and fauna of Dhofar, supported by the Government Tropical Herbarium of Florence (FT); a complete set of Oman. In the eighties A.G. Miller and M. Morris of duplicates (about 350 specimens), mounted on further enlarged the knowledge of the Dhofar fl ora Herbarium sheets and identifi ed, was presented to with the publication of an important illustrated work the National Herbarium Natural History Museum (Miller & Morris, 1988) in which the authors treat (ON) in Muscat. the plant species not only from the botanical point of view but also describe the medicinal and economical local practices. Collection sites New progress in the knowledge of the fl ora of Oman is due to the work of S. A. Ghazanfar who The collection sites are grouped according to produced several monographic researches on criti- their ecological and/or altitudinal similarities and are cal families, genera and species and interesting stud- marked with the following abbreviations: L = littorals ies on biodiversity and conservation. She is also the and beaches, CP = coastal plain and foothills of the author of the fi rst Flora of Oman, a work in progress escarpment mountains, LH = low hills and grasslands of which the fi rst two issues (2003 and 2007) have up to 500 m on monsoon affected escarpments, HH been published. = high hills and grasslands between 500 and 800 m on monsoon affected escarpments, M = mountain slopes and grassland above 800 m, sW = southwards drain- Our researches on the fl ora of Dhofar ing wadis, nW = northwards draining wadis and semi- desert areas, Ha = dry (no monsoon affected) hills From 2000 to 2009 we carried out 10 scientifi c near Hasik, Wa = wet areas or mangrove vegetation. missions to Dhofar; we explored several habitats, dif- Each abbreviation is followed by a progressive ferent from the ecological and altitudinal point of number, which refers to the respective position in view, such as seashores, coastal plains and the distal the territory (from west to east). The geographical parts of several wadis ending in the Arabian Sea (from coordinates defi ne each locality and identify the sites Rachyut, Al Mughasayl, Salalah, Khor Rori, Mirbat, where the plants were collected. The maps of fi gure Sadh, Hadbin up to Hasik). In particular, many 1 and 2 show the sites of collection; when those sites plants were collected on the monsoon slopes of the are very near to each other, they overlap on the maps mountains of central Dhofar (with special reference and therefore they are indicated in Fig. 1 and 2 with Contribution to the Flora of Central-Southern Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) 67 the same abbreviations and the same numbers, but are indicated in Fig. 1 and 2. The number of sites ex- differentiated by a letter (a, b, c, etc.) both in the list plored was large enough to have exhaustive informa- of the collection sites and the following fl oristic lists. tion on the local distribution of plant species. The collection sites are 233 in number, 139 of which List of the collection sites L = littorals and beaches 07.09.02 (idem) - c: 24.03.04 (idem). - d: 28.02.09 L1 30.09.01. Rakhyut: beach. Alt. 2 m - 16°44.780’N, (idem). 53°25.420’E CP7 24.09.01. Salalah-Taqah road: at the cross- L2 a: 24.04.01. Al Mughsayl: beach and rocky outcrops roads to Ayn Hamran. Alt. 50 m - 17°3.330’N, near the sea-water spray. Alt. 10 m - 16°52.500’N, 54°16.540’E. 53°45.980’E - b: 23.09.01. Al Mughsayl: beach in CP8 a: 21.10.00. Khor Rori: rocky coastal plain be- front of the restaurant. Alt. 0-5 m - 16°52.740’N, tween Sumhuram excavation and the Wadi Darbat 53°46.500’E - c: 02.09.02 (idem) - d: 10.09.02 bed. Alt.