Wild plants diversity of Red Sea coastal region, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Tabuk Red Sea coastal region; lies in the northern west part of Saudi Arabia with 500 Km length were regularly visited during 2015 for plants collection. Life forms and vegetation types were also recorded. This paper provides the first quantitative analysis of plant species diversity of Tabuk Red Sea coastal region. A total of 82 plant species belong to 66 genera and 30 families were recorded. The family Asteraceae is represented by the highest number of species (9 species) followed by Fabaceae (8 species); Brassicaceae & Zygophyllaceae (7 species); Chenopodiaceae & Poacea (6 species); Resedaceae (5 species); Boraginaceae (4 species) and Asclepediaceae & Caryophyllaceae (3 species). Four families are represented by two species while 16 families are represented only by one species each. The chamaephytes and therophytes are the dominating life form of the vegetation spectra, indicating typical desert spectrum vegetation. Chamaephytes represent by 32.92 % while therophytes represent 29.27% of the total species in the study area. The highest number of species (57.32%) was recorded for perennial, while annual species was recorded 42.68%. Chronological analysis of the vegetation in the area revealed the domination of Saharo-Arabian representing by 23 species (28.05%), followed by Irano -Turanian taxa by 6 species (7.32%) and Sudanian taxa by 5 species (6.10%). Mediterranean species were rarely represented with only two species (2.44%) while Saharo-Sindian, Tropical, American, Sudano-Zambezian and Sahelian Somali-Masai taxa are represented by one species (1.22%). Species of Saharo-Arabian- Sudano-Zambezian elements together have high share of species representing by 13 species (15.85%).