A Field Guide to the Plants of Oman
A Field Guide to the Plants of Oman features 250 species of plant with about 550 full-colour images of plants, celebrating the green heritage of the Oman countryside. Authors Dr Helen Pickering and Dr Annette Patzelt have won praise for their commendable work: “This publication is the result of many months of field trips, sleeping under the stars, being stuck in the sand, long treks in the mountains, cuts, bruises and filthy clothes. I hope people will use it to get to understand the beautiful plants of Oman, on their own adventures in the wadis, mountains and deserts of the country,” the authors stated in a joint statement.
Dr Helen Pickering, residing in London, is a plant photographer who has previously published a photographic guide to the wild flowers of Mombacho, Nicaragua. Dr Patzelt has lived in Oman for 11 years and is the Senior Botanist at Oman Botanic Garden, An invaluable reference to the flora of Oman, The Field Guide to the Wild Plants of Oman is published by Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK, as part of a series of publications about native plants from around the world.
The main sections cover 250 common species, and each account is enhanced by fascinating colour photographs which enable quick identification. For ease of use, plants are grouped according to the colour of their most conspicuous feature, usually flowers, with additional sections for trees and grasses then organised alphabetically by botanical family. This colour-coded layout makes plant identification easy and descriptions of the plant appearance, habitat, uses and distribution, along with a glossary of botanical terms, provides the reader with an excellent overview of individual species.
The book is distributed in Oman and throughout the region by Al Manahil International. Their director, Maggie Jeans, said; “This book is an invaluable field guide, cleverly colour coded to help the enthusiast identify the wide variety of native plants indigenous to the Sultanate. This knowledge helps to increase our appreciation of the natural environment. There are also plans to produce an Arabic translation of the book which will make the material accessible to a wider audience.”
According to the authors, the country’s main floristic diversity can be found in the Dhofar Governorate, as well as the northern mountains. Nearly half of the flowering plants are annuals that have an ephemeral existence, springing to life after rain. In Dhofar, however, where the monsoon contributes to significant precipitation over the hills, plants bloom during and directly after the season, from August to October. In the northern mountains, where rain occurs mainly during the winter months, flowering takes place generally in the spring, from February to April.
The book also spotlights specific areas supporting a relative abundance of plant life. In the northern Hajar mountains, for examples, the rocky slopes above 2,000 metres are dominated by gnarled juniper and olive trees with associated species. Temperate fruit such as plums, peaches and pomegranates are cultivated on the plateau in Al Jabal al Akhdar range. Between 1,000-2,000 metres, open woodlands have scattered olive, sideroxylon and Dodonea trees and shrubs.
In some scattered coastal areas, mangroves (Avicennia marina) are the dominant species, the book explains. Other key species are nearly all perennial, generally succulent, semi-woody dwarf shrubs or prostrate vines spreading along the beaches. In the gravel plains, the vegetation mainly consists of tree scrub, principally Acacia tortillis and Prosopis cineraria, both of which are an important source of fodder for animals. Plants of the Chenopodiaceae and Zygophyllaceae families, along with some grasses, provide sparse ground cover. In depressions where limited rainfall collects, some annuals germinate.
In the two sand deserts of the Sultanate — the Rimal al Sharqiya (Wahiba Sands) and Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter), vegetation is limited to a few hardy species, such as Euphorbia riebeckii, Tetraena qatarensis and grasses with scattered groups of Prosopis cineraria along wadi channels. Sprouting along roadsides and disturbed areas in inhabited parts of the country are so-called pioneer plants including species of Launaea, Parthenium, Heliotropium, Solanum, Pluchea and other grasses. They usually contribute to the process of soil regeneration, according to the authors.
Oman Daily Observer, 10th June 2009
