Flora of Oman

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Cyperus pseuderemicus is a species of sedge that is native to parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Boscia arabica is a species of flowering plant in the Capparaceae family. It is a shrub or tree native to Oman and Yemen. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Searsia aucheri is a species of plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is endemic to Oman. It grows in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains of northern Oman, where it is common in wadis and on rocky slopes.

Blepharis dhofarensis is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is a shrub that grows to around 5m tall and is found in Oman and Yemen. Blepharis dhofarensis grows on wet escarpment woodlands and it prefers dense thickets on steep slopes. It is threatened by habitat loss. Recent molecular work has placed it in the genus Acanthus instead of Blepharis.

Xerotia arabica is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. It is the sole species in genus Xerotia. It is a subshrub or shrub native to Yemen and Oman in the southern Arabian Peninsula, where it grows in deserts and dry shrublands.

Withania qaraitica is a shrubby and perennial herb up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall with bright orange-red seeds patterned with honeycomb-like markings pale yellowish brown in color. It has only been found in Dhofar, but may occur in wet woodlands over the border in south Yemen. It is closely related to two species, Withania adunenis and W. riebeckii. W. qaraitica occurs commonly in the wet woodlands, but can be found around settlements where they have frequently been transplanted.

Berberis baluchistanica is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western Pakistan. It produces a unique flavone, berberisinol.

Boswellia sacra, also known as Boswellia carteri and others, and commonly called the frankincense tree or the olibanum tree, is a tree in the genus Boswellia, in the Burseraceae family, from which frankincense, a resinous dried sap, is harvested. The olibanum tree is a plant native to the countries of Oman and Yemen, in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, and to Somalia and Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa. In 2012, it was replanted in Israel in the Middle East, 1,500 years after dying out there.

Commiphora wightii, with common names Indian bdellium-tree, gugal, guggal, guggul, gugul, or mukul myrrh tree, is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae, which produces a fragrant resin called gugal, guggul or gugul, that is used in incense and vedic medicine (or ayurveda). The species is native to western India, from where it was introduced westward to southern Pakistan and the middle-east. It prefers arid and semi-arid climates and is tolerant of poor soil.

Ceratonia oreothauma is a species of tree native to Oman and Somaliland.

Kelleronia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae. Its native range is Ethiopia and Somalia in northeastern Tropical Africa and Oman in the southern Arabian Peninsula. Species: Kelleronia gillettiae Baker f. Kelleronia revoilii (Franch.) Chiov. Kelleronia splendens Schinz

Adelocaryum is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. Its native range is southern Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.

Dracaena serrulata, also called the Arabian or Yemen dragon tree, is a distinctive tree reaching around 5m tall with a single trunk. It is found in the dry escarpment mountains of southwestern Arabia in Oman, South Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Tamarix stricta is a species of tree in the family Tamaricaceae. It is native to Iran and Pakistan.

Monolluma quadrangula is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen). It was first described by Peter Forsskål in 1775 as Stapelia quadrangula.

Lotus laricus is a plant native to Iran, Oman, Pakistan in the genus Lotus. It is an upright perennial to a trailing annual.

Cyperus wissmannii is a species of sedge that is native to north eastern parts of Africa and south western parts of the Middle East.

Cyperus steadii is a species of sedge that is endemic to parts of Iran and Pakistan. The species was first formally described by the botanist Georg Kükenthal in 1931.

Wadithamnus artemisioides is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It is a subshrub or shrub native to Yemen and Oman in the southern Arabian Peninsula. It is the sole species in genus Wadithamnus. Two subspecies are accepted: Wadithamnus artemisioides subsp. artemisioides – southern Yemen Wadithamnus artemisioides subsp. batharitica (A.G.Mill. & J.A.Nyberg) T.Hammer & R.W.Davis – southern Oman