Flora of Arabian Peninsula

Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but also grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world. It is cultivated commercially and has been used for centuries as a topical treatment. The species is considered attractive for decorative purposes, and is often used indoors as a potted plant. The leaves of Aloe vera contain significant amounts of the polysaccharide gel acemannan, which can be used for

Aloe abyssicola is a species of succulent plant in the genus Aloe that is endemic to southern Yemen, where it grows dangling upside-down from cliff faces.

Salvia tingitana (lost clary) is an herbaceous perennial in the family Lamiaceae. It has a long and enigmatic history—it has been grown and described since the 17th century without any certainty about its origin. Botanists' speculation that it was native to northern Africa is reflected in the specific epithet tingitana, which refers to the town of "Tingi" (now called Tangiers), even though no native plants have ever been found there. It was not until 1989 that a wild population of the plant was discovered, in western Saudi Arabia. The plant is regarded as a rather strong mosquito repellent

Euphorbia dhofarensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, endemic to Oman, where it is found in the Dhofar region, in stony wadi between 50 and 650 metres in altitude. As most other succulent members of the genus Euphorbia, its trade is regulated under Appendix II of CITES.

Euphorbia meuleniana is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is endemic to Yemen.

Euphorbia abdulghafooriana is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, endemic to Saudi Arabia. An annual prostrate herb of deserts and dry shrublands, it resembles the New World species Euphorbia serpens.

Euphorbia smithii is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is endemic to Oman. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Euphorbia frankii is a species of flowering plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is a succulent spurge native to northern Yemen. Euphorbia frankii was initially considered a dwarf highland form of Euphorbia fruticosa, but was described as a new species in 2005.

Adenosciadium is a monotypic genus of flowering plant belonging to the parsley family, Apiaceae. The sole species Adenosciadium arabicum is endemic to Oman in the extreme southeast of the Arabian Peninsula.

Acanthus arboreus is a species of flowering plant in the genus of Acanthus. It is native to wetland of Ethiopia and exists as a shrub.

Cyperus forskalianus is a species of sedge that is native to Yemen.

Ajuga arabica is a herbaceous flowering plant native to central Saudi Arabia. It was first described in 1980.

Euphorbia momccoyae is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a succulent shrub found in the Dhofar Governorate, Oman, and the Hadhramaut Governorate, Yemen. In the wild, Euphorbia momccoyae grows on limestone, typically occurring in small hills or flat areas, but occasionally also in steep vertical cliffs.

Aloe aaata is a species of succulent plant in the genus Aloe that is endemic to southern Saudi Arabia.

Terminalia dhofarica is a species of plant in the Combretaceae family. It is found in Oman and Yemen, where it is endemic to the South Arabian fog woodlands, shrublands, and dune ecoregion. It is threatened by habitat loss. T. dhofarica is a tall tree which can grow up to 12 meters in height. It is dry-season deciduous, losing its leaves in November or December at the start of the winter dry season, and re-leafing when the southwest monsoon brings summer rains. It featured on the 50 Omani baisa stamp in 2004.

Blepharispermum hirtum is a species of tree in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is native to Oman and Yemen. It grows in escarpment woodland habitat, where it is sometimes a dominant species. In some parts of its range it is vulnerable to overexploitation for its wood.

Terminalia bentii is a species of plant in the Combretaceae family. It is endemic to the fog woodlands of Yemen. The species was first described as Anogeissus bentii by John Gilbert Baker in 1895. In 2017 the genus Anogeissus was made a synonym of Terminalia, and the species was renamed Terminalia bentii.

Dendrosicyos is a monotypic genus in the plant family Cucurbitaceae. The only species is Dendrosicyos socotranus, the cucumber tree. The species is endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen, and is the only species in the Cucurbitaceae to grow in a tree form. The species name was originally spelled D. socotrana, but this is corrected to masculine grammatical gender according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

Euphorbia ammak, commonly known as giant milk bush, African candelabra and candelabra spurge, is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae native to the Arabian Peninsula. As most other succulent members of the genus Euphorbia, its trade is regulated under Appendix II of CITES. In 1998, the plant was assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and was listed as Vulnerable.

Exacum affine, known commercially as the Persian violet, is a species of plant in the family Gentianaceae. It is endemic to Socotra, part of Yemen, though its popularity and cultivation around the world have made it an occasional greenhouse weed. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. This is a small herbaceous biennial plant with dark green, ovate leaves. The small purple flowers have a yellow centre with fragrance.

Aloe rubroviolacea (Arabian aloe), is a succulent plant with 2 foot wide rosettes of thick, blue-green leaves crowning a thick stem. This aloe comes from steep and rocky areas above 2100 meters elevation in the mountains of Yemen and Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Peninsula. Pups often making large clusters of plants. Hanging from rock cliffs older plants can grow stems over 3 meters in length. The species was first formally described by Schweinf in 1895.

Aloe officinalis is a species of aloe in the Asphodelaceae family. The species is native to the Arabian Peninsula, from Yemen to Saudi Arabia. The plant has become naturalized in Somalia and has medicinal value. The plant also has two varieties: Aloe officinalis var. angustifolia (Schweinf.) Lavranos Aloe officinalis var. officinalis

Iris florentina, also known as Iris albicans, cemetery iris, white cemetery iris, or the white flag iris, is a species of iris which was planted on graves in Muslim regions and grows in many countries throughout the Middle East and northern Africa. It was later introduced to Spain, and then other European countries. The identity of the plant first described by Carl Linnaeus as Iris florentina remains unclear, as of December 2021. In horticulture, it has been treated as a white-flowered variant of Iris × germanica, under names such as Iris germanica nothovar. florentina, Iris × germanica var.

Kalanchoe bentii is a subshrub that grows in Somalia and Yemen. It can grow to at least 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall.

Douepea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It includes two species which are native to western Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The genus name of Douepea is in honour of Herman van Donep, a government secretary in Kochi. and it was published in Mém. Soc. Bot. France Vol.8 on page 297 in 1917. It was published in V.Jacquemont, Voy. Inde Vol.4 on page 18 in 1841. Known species: Douepea arabica (Hedge & Kit Tan) O.Appel & Al-Shehbaz – northwestern Saudi Arabia Douepea tortuosa Cambess. – western Pakistan

Pseudodichanthium is a genus of Asian plants in the grass family. The only known species is Pseudodichanthium serrafalcoides, native to Maharashtra and Oman.

Isoleucas is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described in 1939. It is native to Yemen and Somalia. Species Isoleucas arabica O.Schwartz - Yemen Isoleucas somala (Patzak) Scheen - Somalia (= Ballota somala Patzak, Otostegia somala (Patzak) Sebald)

Saltia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It just contains one species, Saltia papposa. It is in the Amaranthoideae subfamily. It is native to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, in the Arabian Peninsula. It is found on gravel plains with other shrubs. The genus name of Saltia is in honour of Henry Salt (1780–1827), an English artist, traveller, collector of antiquities, diplomat, and Egyptologist. The Latin specific epithet of papposa refers to pappus the wind-dispersal mechanism for the seeds. It was first described and published in Prodr. Vol.13 (Series 2)

Gymnosporia dhofarensis is a species of plant in the family Celastraceae and is found in Oman and Yemen. It is an intricately branched spiny shrub or small tree with its leaves arranged alternately or clustered on short shoots. The flowers have white or cream petals and the fruit are purple or red. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Eigia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It only contains 1 species, Eigia longistyla (Eig) Soják . Its native range is eastern Mediterranean, and is found in the countries of Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Its genus name of Eigia is in honour of Alexander Eig (1894–1938) an Israeli botanist, and the epithet of longistyla is a combination of 'long' and the Greek word of stylos meaning a pillar. Eigia longistyla (Eig) Soják was first published and described in Cas. Nár. Mus., Odd. Prír Vol.148 on page 193 (in 1979 but published in 1980).