Abstract
The present study provides a vegetation analysis and species distribution at 50 sites, emphasizing the environmental factors that affect species distribution. A total of 74 plant species belonging to 67 genera and related to 23 families of vascular plants are recorded. Asteraceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae and Zygophyllaceae are the largest families, and therophytes (41.89) and chamaephytes (24.32%) are the most frequent, indicating a typical desert life-form spectrum. Chorological analysis revealed that 25 of the studied species were Mediterranean taxa, Saharo-Sindian chorotypes, either pure or penetrated into other regions, comprised 47 species. After application of the TWINSPAN and DCA programs, 4 vegetation groups (A-D) were identified, groups A and B were dominated by Achillea santolina, group C was codominated by Zygophyllm coccinum and Launaea spinosa and group D was dominated by Leptadenia pyrotechnica. Groups A and B may represent the vegetation types of the Western Mediterranean coast of Egypt, while groups C and D may represent the Wadi Hagul. The linear correlation of soil variables with the importance values of some dominant species and the application of Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA-biplot) indicates significant associations between the floristic composition of the studied area and the edaphic factors such as electrical conductivity, pH, calcium carbonate, sulphates, bicarbonate, cations (Na+, K+, Ca++ and Mg++) and PAR.
Highlights
The vegetation in Egyptian desert is the most important and characteristic type of natural plant life
The present study aims to investigate relationship between soil variables and wild communities of Achillea fragrantissima and Achillea santolina in the inland and coastal desert of Egypt
The present study aims at throwing light on investigating the ecological features of two selected species of genus Achillea in family Asteraceae namely, Achillea fragrantissima and A. santolina
Summary
The vegetation in Egyptian desert is the most important and characteristic type of natural plant life. About 4% of Egypt’s total area is agricultural land and this area has one of the highest population densities in the world. It has been seen from this perspective; reclamation of the desert appears “natural”, almost inevitable regarding the population growth and the increased congestion in the old lands which are the lands in the Nile Valley and the Nile Delta [1]. Boulos [7] recorded 2125 species among which 50 species are cultivated Most of these species are therophytes that appears during the rainy season, giving the coastal belt a temporary showy grassland desert. Boulos [11] reported that in Egypt, Asteraceae is represented by about 228 species in 98 genera
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