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Hatem Shabana

  • Biodiversity Journal, 7 (2): 223-228

    Tamer Mahmoud, Sanjay Gairola, Hatem Shabana & Ali El-Keblawy
    Contribution to the flora of United Arab Emirates: Glinus lotoides L. (Molluginaceae) and Senna occidentalis L. (Fabaceae) two new records

    ABSTRACT
    This paper reports Glinus lotoides L. (Molluginaceae) and Senna occidentalis L. (Fabaceae) as two new records to the flora of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In the UAE, G. lotoides grows in the seasonally inundated land when the water recedes and soils have high clay contents. This is the only representative species of the genus Glinus in the UAE. Hence, we added a new genus to the country’s flora. Senna occidentalis was recorded from Wadi Al-Ain with ca. 15 individuals in its population. This species is considered as a weed elsewhere, so, there should be further assessments in order to monitor naturalization potential in its new localities in the UAE. The general distribution of the newly recorded species, habitat preferences and taxonomy with a map of localities in the UAE are presented. The occurrence of both species in different places in the UAE calls for further investigation and more extensive field studies to explore the country’s genetic resources.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 6 (3): 719–722

    Tamer Mahmoud, Sanjay Gairola, Hatem Shabana & Ali El-Keblawy
    Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight and Trifolium repens L. (Fabales Fabaceae) two new legume records for natural flora of the United Arab Emirates

    ABSTRACT
    In this report, we have recorded for the first time the presence of Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight and Trifolium repens L. (Fabales Fabaceae) in natural flora of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on extensive field surveys and literature review, it was apparent that these species have not been recorded before in the UAE flora.It might be important to mention that the two new records have great economic and agricultural importance. Both species are spontaneously occurring in the natural habitat and considered as good forage and can adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. Specimens of both newly recoded species are deposited in the Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium (SSBH), UAE. Descriptions and photographs of these species are provided. The new records of vascular plants in UAE flora would help ecologists and conservation biologists in more potential scientific research and natural resources exploitations.