Eurasia > BGCI in Oman
BGCI in Oman
About Oman’s Flora
Some 1200 vascular plant species have been recorded in Oman to date of which 16% are range-restricted, 6.4 % of all species being strictly endemic to the country. Around 70% of the total flora and the majority of the endemics are concentrated in Dhofar, southern Oman. To the north of this area the number of plant species and of endemics declines, as the climate becomes much more arid.
The vegetation is highly diverse. The lowlands of northern Oman are dominated by an gravel and sand deserts. The northern mountain chain reaches up to 3000m, with species-rich Olea europaea-Juniperus excelsa woodlands at higher altitudes.
Central Oman is an hyperarid gravel desert, which receives some moisture from occasional fogs. Southern Oman is influenced by moisture–laden clouds of the south-west monsoon, which results in a unique drought deciduous forest vegetation dominated by endemics.
In a recent review of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, southern and central Oman were added to the ‘Horn of Africa’ hotspot.
Publications on the Flora
Miller, A. G. and M. Morris (1988). Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman. Traditional, Economic and Medicinal Uses. The Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman.