New records of alien species of the family Urticaceae in the Fujairah Emirate (UAE)

Vyacheslav V Byalt,Michail V Korshunov

doi:10.14258/turczaninowia.24.1.13

Abstract

During floristic research in 2017–2020 in the Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the authors made new findings of species from family Urticaceae that complement the species composition of the flora of vascular plants in the territory of the emirate and the UAE as a whole. The article presents data on 4 new to the UAE alien ergasiophytes from Urticaceae – Laportea interrupta (L.) Chew. (a weed in the plant nursery in Al Bidiya), Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. (a weed in nurseries in Al Dibba and Al Bidiya), Pouzolzia zeylanica (L.) Benn. (a weed in the seaside promenade of city of Al Fujeirah), and Pilea microphylla and Pouzolzia zeylanica also for Arabia in general. A preliminary assessment of the species diversity of family Urticaceae in the Arabian Peninsula is also given. Taking into account new records, 7 species from 6 genera belonging to this family have been identified in the UAE. The herbarium materials were transferred to the Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute (LE, Saint-Petersburg, Russia), the duplicates – to the Herbarium of Altai State University (ALTB, Barnaul, Russia) and the Scientific Herbarium of Fujairah (FSH, Wadi Wuraya, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates).

Highlights

We found that the distribution of Urticaceae in Arabia is very uneven and their greatest number is confined to the southwest and north of the peninsula (Yemen and Saudi Arabia), while the desert and waterless east of Arabia are poor in them, up to their absence in flora
Our research shows that family Urticaceae in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flora is represented by a minimum number of native species and, apparently, an increase in its species diversity is possible only due to alien ones
The Urticaceae family has been represented on the Arabian Peninsula by 19 species from 9 genera (Miller, Cope, 1996; etc.)

Summary

Introduction

New records of alien species of the family Urticaceae in the Fujairah Emirate (UAE) During floristic research in 2017–2020 in the Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the authors made new findings of species from family Urticaceae that complement the species composition of the flora of vascular plants in the territory of the emirate and the UAE as a whole.

Results

Conclusion