Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2024 | 16(3): 24899–24909

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8609.16.3.24899-24909

#8609 | Received 21 June 2023 | Final received 16 November 2023 | Finally accepted 08 February 2024

 

 

New plant records for the flora of Saudi Arabia

 

Abdul Wali Al-Khulaidi 1, Ali M. Alzahrani 2, Ali A. Al-Namazi 3, Eisa Ali Al-Faify 4, Mohammed Musa Alfaifi 5, Nageeb A. Al‑Sagheer 6 & Abdul Nasser Al-Gifri 7

 

1 The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development & Combating Desertification (NCVC), Riyadh, Saudi

1,6 Agricultural Research & Extension Authority, 87148 Dhamar, Yemen.

2,6 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Albaha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.

3 King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi.

4 Academic Institute in Faifa, P.O. BOX. 71541, Faifa 11597, Saudi Arabia.

5 Agricultural Development Fund, P. O. BOX 5, Faifa 45942, Saudi Arabia.

7 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Aden, Yemen.

1 abdulwali20@gmail.com, 2 alialzahrani@bu.edu.sa, 3 aalnamazi@gmail.com (corresponding author), 4 Alfaifyeisa@gmail.com,

5 abduu14@gmail.com, 6 alsaghiernageeb@gmail.com, 7 ngifri@gmail.com

 

 

 

Editor: Anonymity requested.                 Date of publication: 26 March 2024 (online & print)

 

Citation: Al-Khulaidi, A.W., A.M. Alzahrani, A.A. Al-Namazi, E.A. Al-Faify, M.M. Alfaifi, N.A. Al‑Sagheer & A.N. Al-Gifri (2024). New plant records for the flora of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(3): 24899–24909. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8609.16.3.24899-24909

  

Copyright: © Al-Khulaidi et al. 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Dr. Abdul Wali Ahmed Al-Khulaidi is an associate professor specialist in vegetation, Flora, and Plant Geography, where he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Dr. Al-Khulaidi is one of the staff of the Agricultural Research and Extension Authority (AREA), Yemen, currently contracted with the Center for Vegetation Cover Development & Combating Desertification (NCVC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Previously, he worked at the University of Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia for nine years. He has many published papers on the vegetation and flora of the Arabian Peninsula. Dr. Ali M. Alzahrani is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science in Al-Baha University. He did his PhD in Plant taxonomy and conservation from the University of Birmingham, UK. Dr. Ali Al-Namazi is an associate professor at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, with a research interest in plant ecology and biodiversity. He did his Ph.D. from the department of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), UNSW, Sydney, Australia. Eisa Ali Al-Faify is a teacher, environmental activist, and enthusiast of wild plants, he has extensive experience in the wild plants.

Mohammed Musa Alfaifi is an agricultural engineer, environmental activist, and enthusiast of wild plants, he has extensive experience in wild plants. Dr. Nageeb Ali Al_Sageer is an assistant professor specialist in Forestry, where he obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Mysore India. He is one of the staff of the Agricultural Research and Extension Authority (AREA), Yemen, currently worked with the University of Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.  He has many published papers on the vegetation and flora of the Arabian Peninsula. Dr. Abdulnasser Al-Gifri is a senior professor of systematic botany at University of Aden Yemen. He worked at Biology Dept. at Jazan University. He identified number of new species and there are Ochradenus gifrii named after his name.

 

Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

 

Abstract: Our goal was to find and record new plants that had not previously been recorded for the flora of Arabian Peninsula, particularly for Saudi Arabia. Collections were made in several ecologically important areas of Saudi Arabia, particularly in Faifa region. It was revealed that eight new vascular plant species and one liverwort (Bryophyte) belonging to eight families were recorded for the first time. The investigation was done between January 2021 and May 2022.

 

Keywords: Al-Balace, Al-Lawz, biodiversity, Arabian Peninsula, Faifa region, new records.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

According to estimates made by Gatti et al. (2022) and Pimm & Joppa (2015), 400,000 of the estimated 15 million species on the planet are vascular plants. Discovering new species aids in their conservation. Furthermore, new plant species enrich a country’s flora and its economy if these plants are economically significant. The inventory of Saudi’s flora is far from complete, and more work is needed to document the country’s missing floristic knowledge, particularly in less explored areas like southwestern highland regions, and thereby improve the conservation of its floristic wealth and reap the economic benefits.

Several new species or records, published in various papers and books, have been added in the past to the flora of Saudi Arabia (e.g., Mandaville 1990; Alfarhan et al. 1997; Chaudhary 1999; Collenette 1999; Chaudhary 2000, 2001; Al-Turki 2004; AlFarhan et al. 2005; Fayed & Alzahrani 2007;  Al-Surour 2018; El-Shaboury et al. 2018; Al-Gifri et al. 2019; Alzahrani et al. 2022).

In previous trips, authors discovered several plants that recorded for the first time for the flora of Saudi Arabia, such as Celtis toka (Forssk.) Hepper & J.R.I.Wood (Al-Surour 2020), Aspilia kotschyi (Sch.Bip. ex Hochst.) Oliv. (Al-Khulaidi et al. 2021), Alysicarpus vaginalis (L.) DC., Commiphora schimperi (O.Berg) Engl., Maerua angolensis DC. ssp. angolensis, Peperomia leptostachya Hook. & Arn. (Piperaceae), and Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich. (Al-Khulaidi et al. 2023).

In this study, a botanical exploration was carried out in this framework between January 2021 and May 2022 in some parts of Saudi Arabia, specifically in the Faifa region and surrounding areas, and resulted in the discovery of eight new vascular plant species and one liverwort (Bryophyta) belonging to eight families that had not previously been recorded for the flora of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 

Floral studies and atlas of the Arabian Peninsula and other countries (e.g., Post 1932; Miller 1996; Wood 1997; Collenette 1999; Chaudhary 1999, 2000, 2001; Kürschner 2000; Miller & Morris 2004; Al-Khulaidi 2013) were used to identify and search for the newly recorded plants along with the researchers’ own experiences. ArcMap version 10.8 software was utilized to prepare the distribution maps of the plants.

 

Study Area

The investigated areas are located in southwestern Saudi Arabia in Asir region particular in Raidah Sanctuary and around Jabal Al-Balace, and in Faifa mountains in region of Jazan, and in the north of Saudi Arabia, Jabal Al-Lawz, in Tabuk Region (Figure 1, Table 1).

 

Field Surveys

Field trips for plant survey and collections have been done between January 2021 and May 2022 in different parts of Saudi Arabia. All the collected specimens are deposited in the herbarium (MUZ) of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

 

 

RESULTS

 

This study adds eight new vascular plant species and one liverwort (bryophyte) belonging to eight families, of which five species are angiosperms and three are pteridophytes to the Saudi Arabian flora, namely: Asplenium dalhousiae Hook., Bolanthus hirsutus (Labill.) Barkoudah, Hemionitis viridis (Forssk.) Christenh., Grewia flavescens Juss. var. flavescens, Nicandra physalodes (L.) Gaertn., Oxymitra incrassata (Brot.) Sérgio & Sim-Sim, Hemionitis calomelanos (Sw.) Christenh., Pentodon pentandrus (Schum. & Thonn.) Vatke. var. pentandrus, and Zornia glochidiata Rchb. ex DC.

 

1. Asplenium dalhousiae Hook., Icon. Pl. 2: t. 105. 1837 (Aspleniaceae) ( Figure 2 & Image 1)

A perennial tufted fern. Frond simple, pinnatifid, up to 15 cm high, glabrous above, scaly below; sori linear; petiole brown. Pinnae alternate, triangular-ovate to oblong, up to 17 mm long.

Specimen examined: Faifa Region, on moist shady crevices, 17.264667° N, 43.110083° E, 1,695 m, March 2021. M. AlFaifi, MUZ-20235 (KACST),

 

2. Bolanthus hirsutus (Labill.) Barkoudah Wentia 9: 168 (1962) (Caryophyllaceae) (Figure 3 & Image 2).

Perennial herb, up to 20 cm high, glandular-pubescent, cushion-forming; leaves 1–1.5 x 0.2–0.5 cm, elliptic to linear, apex acute, base obtuse, margin entire; calyx tubular, 3–4 mm long, 5-toothed; flowers white with purple veins, short-pedicellate.

Specimen examined: Jabal Al-Lawz, Tabuk Region, in crevices of granite, 28.735095° N, 35.338322° E, 1,900 m, 17.vii.2021, A. Alzahrani 301, MUZ-20230 (KACST),

 

3. Hemionitis viridis (Forssk.) Christenh., Global Fl. 4: 22. 2018 (Pteridaceae) (Figure 4 & Image 3)

Rhizomes short, creeping. Fronds tufted, erect to arching, up to 60 cm high; stipe dark brown to blackish, glabrous or with hair-like scales, up to 20 cm long; lamina herbaceous, 2-pinnate, lanceolate to ovate; pinnules green to dark green, variable, glabrous, ovate to triangular, apex obtuse, base rounded to hastate, margins minutely crenate; sori marginal.

H. viridis is reported for the first time from two locations in southwest Saudi Arabia, where it is growing under dense shade along terraces of Jabal Faifa and in shady crevices of Raidah Sanctuary, near Abha city.

Specimen examined: Jabal Faifa, Jazan Region, in deep shade on terraces, 17.243302° N, 43.086448° E, 1,300 m, 25.vii.2021, A. Alzahrani 302, MUZ-20232; Raidah Sanctuary, Asir Region, in shady crevices, 18.197737° N, 42.408689° E, 1,200 m, 23.ii.2021, A. Alzahrani 303, MUZ-20233 (KACST).

 

4. Grewia flavescens Juss. Ann. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 4: 91. 1804, var. flavescens (Malvaceae; Grewioideae) (Figure 5 & Image 4).

A small bushy tree with deeply grooved four-angled stems. Leaves alternate oblanceolate, up to 80 mm long. Inflorescence solitary with two or three bright yellow flowers in axillary cyme, with yellow to golden colour filament. Fruits single, or 2–4-lobed, covered with rough white hairs.

Widespread throughout tropical Africa. The species has been recorded in Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula only. We did not find a published paper mentioning the occurrence of this plant species in Saudi Arabia, except on the KEW site Plants of the World Online (POWO 2023), which is likely to be based on a study of the plant specimen collected from Sudan

Specimen examined: Faifa Region, on rocky slope, 17.2481° N, 43.1121° E, 1,330 m, 25.v.2021, E. AlFaifi MUZ-20220 (KACST),

 

5. Nicandra physalodes (L.) Gaertn., Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 237, t. 131, f. 2. 1791 (Solanaceae) (Figure 6 & Image 5).

Annual herb, up to 20 cm high. Leaves alternate, ovate to elliptic, margins toothed and undulated or almost lobed. Flowers solitary, axillary, bell-shaped, c. 4 cm in diam., blue-purple.  Fruit spherical, with swollen and winged calyx.

Introduced species, found on terraces and rocky slopes, probably has also long been cultivated as an ornamental plant, besides Faifa region, the plant found in Jabal Al-Qahar at an elevation of 1,689 m, between latitude 17.6293 and longitude 42.8875.

135 Km. SE Abha, Saudi ArabiaThe plant is recorded in some countries as a weed in many types of crops as well as in disturbed sites, roadsides, rangelands (Holm et al. 1997; CABI 2011), and may become invasive with time.

Specimen examined: Faifa Region, on terraces, 17.2568° N, 43.1039° E, 1,530 m, 28.ix.2021, E. AlFaifi MUZ 20215 (KACST),

 

6. Oxymitra incrassata (Brot.) Sérgio & Sim-Sim, J. Bryol. 15: 662. 1989 (Oxymitraceae) (Figure 7 & Image 6)

Thalli 5–10 mm long, dark green to greyish, simple or in branching rosettes; epidermal pores prominent, with a deep midline; with hyaline, narrowly acuminate ventral scales extending beyond thallus edges.

Specimen examined: Near Jabal Al-Balace, Asir Region, in shallow soil beneath rocks, 19.828173° N, 41.861464° E, 1,996 m, 27.ii.2022, A. Alzahrani 304, MUZ-20234 (KACST),

 

7. Hemionitis calomelanos (Sw.) Christenh. Global Fl. 4: 11. 2018. (Pteridaceae) (Figure 8 & Image 7).

Rhizomes erect or shortly creeping, c. 6 mm in diam. Frond pinnate; Lamina ovate-lanceolate to narrowly triangular, blue-green to light green, glaucous, with pale-brown margins and shiny black rachis; the upper with (1–)2-pinnate, often the lower pinnae 2- or 3-pinnate; pinnae opposite to slightly alternate; sori borne on a continuous ridge along the margins.

Specimen examined: Faifa, in crevices of granite, 17.251785° N, long. 43.110767° E, 1,400 m, 18.xii.2021, Mohamed Alfaifi MUZ-20219 (KACST).

 

8. Pentodon pentandrus (Schumach. & Thonn.) Vatke Oesterr. Bot. Z. 25: 231. 1875, var. pentandrus (Rubiaceae) (Figure 9 & Image 8).

Annual herb. Stem soft, succulent, shiny, glabrous. Leaves simple, opposite-decussate, sessile, linear-lanceolate, margins entire. Flowers on long peduncle in axillary panicle, 6–13-flowered. Flowers pedicelled, pale blue or mauve. Calyx with lobed sepals, narrowly extended with five triangular teeth. Corolla usually small, up to 3 mm long, cylindrical, with five stamens.

Specimen examined: Faifa Region, on wadi, 17.6019° N, 42.9336° E, 1,257 m, 26.iii.2021, M. AlFaifi MUZ-20211.

 

9. Zornia glochidiata Rchb. ex DC., Prodr. 2: 316. 1825 (Fabaceae) (Figure 10 & Image 9)

Annual, erect herb. Leaves 2-foliolate, with two asymmetrical leaflets at the end of a long petiole; upper leaflets lanceolate, up to 40 mm long, acute, sparsely and obscurely glandular beneath, especially near margins. Flowers enclosed between two hairy leaf-like bracts, shorter than the bracts. Petals yellow, with red markings. Pods of constricted segments, covered in spiny bristles.

Specimen examined: Faifa Region, on roadsides, 17.2466° N, 43.1107° E, 1,276 m, 20.viii.2021, M. AlFaifi MUZ-20217.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

Recently, new plant records have been documented in the Saudi flora, and the number of these plants is estimated to be 17 new records and five new taxa (Fayed & Alzahrani 2007; Thomas et al. 2014; El-Shaboury et al. 2018; Basahi & Masrahi 2019; Alzahrani et al. 2022;  Al-Khulaidi et al. 2021; Al-Robai et al. 2022; Al-Khulaidi et al. 2023). The number of new records is relatively low compared to the number of new taxa discovered in Africa. The low number discovered in Saudi Arabia may be related to the lack of studies and surveys in the field of plants, and perhaps the lack of specialists in botany. Some of the plants listed in this paper are widely recognized as weeds, so we advise treating them with caution and making an effort to stop their spread so they do not establish themselves as invasive weeds in the area, and pose a challenge to control or eradicate them in the future.

In Arabian Peninsula, Asplenium dalhousiae were previously recorded from Yemen only (Wood 1997). The genus Bolanthus (Ser.) Rchb. belongs to the tribe Caryophyllaceae (Bittrich 1993). Bolanthus hirsutus is native to Syria, Palestine, and Egypt (Post 1932; Boulos 1999). For the Arabian Peninsula the plant is only known from Jabal Al-Lawz, northwestern Saudi Arabia. Hemionitis viridis is a native species of South Africa, tropical East Africa, Cape Verde, the Comoro Islands, Madagascar, and the Mascarene Islands (Roux 2009). In addition to Yemen in Arabian Peninsula (Miller 1996; Wood 1997). The species Nicandra physalodes is so far, recorded as an introduced species in Soqotra Island, Yemen (Miller & Morris 2004). The genus Oxymitra Bisch. ex Lindenb., comprises two species: O. cristata Garside and O. incrassata (Brot.) Sérgio & Sim-Sim (Söderström et al. 2016). Oxymitra cristata is found in southern Africa (Perold, 1993), whereas O. incrassata is widely distributed (Kürschner 2003). In fact, in the Arabian Peninsula, O. incrassata was recorded only from Yemen by Kürschner (2000). The species is documented for the first time in Saudi Arabia, where it is found in shallow soil beneath rocks near Jabal Al-Balace, Asir Region. In the Arabian Peninsula, the plant Pentodon pentandrus is recorded only from Yemen (Wood 1997) and Oman (Ghazanfar 2007; Patzelt et al. 2014). The plant occurs in Tanzania as a weed, as well as in some countries of the world (Burkill 1997). In the Arabian Peninsula, Zornia glochidiata is recorded only from Socotra Island, Yemen (Miller & Morris 2004). The plant is recorded as weed in some parts of the world (Ekeleme & Chikoye 2003).

 

 

CONCLUSION 

 

The recorded plant species suggest that further botanical study is necessary in the Faifa region and other unexplored regions farther north of the country (e.g., Tabuk and Al-Ula). The study areas’ proximity to Yemen, Sinai (Egypt), and Jordan might also have helped some plants spread to nearby areas, such as Tabuk and Faifa. Some of the species observed, like Nicandra physalodes, are aggressive  and well-known weeds worldwide. Over time, they may establish themselves in Saudi Arabia as invasive species. The results of this study and the previous studies that have been mentioned have added new plants to the Saudi Arabia’s flora, and enriched it.

 

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