Contribution to the Flora of Central-Southern Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman)

Summary From 2000 to 2009 we carried out 10 scientific missions to Central-Southern Dhofar with the aim of collecting plants. We eplored several habitats, such as littorals and seashores, coastal plains and many wadis ending in the Arabian sea (from Rackhyt, Al Mughsayl, Salalah, Khor Rori, Mirbat, Hadbin up to Hasik). We paid particular attention to the floristic exploration of the monsoon slopes of the coastal mountains (with special reference to Jabal Qara) where plant richness and endemic taxa are mostly concentrated. Plants were also collected on the upper part of Jabal Samhan, the highest mountain of Dhofar, in the pre-desertic area of Wadi Andur, beyond Jabal Samhan and in several areas where, nowadays, large groups of Boswellia sacra, the frankincense tree, grow, i.e. Al Mughsayl, Adownib, Aluf, Uyun, Wadi Dowkah and Hasik. Sporadic explorations were carried out on the vaste pre-desertic area that, from Thumrayt, spreads northward to the Saudi Arabia border, from Muddy, Al Mathafah, Ginan Bin Nawa...