FLORISTIC COMPOSITION, LIFE FORM AND CHOROLOGY OF PLANT LIFE AT KHULAIS REGION, WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA

Floristic composition of Khulais region, West Saudi Arabia, is lacking. Therefore, the present study has been undertaken to assess its Floristic composition, Life form and chorology. Results revealed that the region consider a hot-spot in the Kingdom in term of plant diversity and more diverse compared with other well studied regions in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. A total of 251 plant species belonging to 160 genera and 50 families were identified. The major plant families that contributed in the formation of vegetation of the area in question were Poaceae (42 species) followed by papilonaceae (20 species), Euphorbiacea and Asteraceae (18 and 15 species, respectively), while eighteen families each was represented by only one species. Therophytes exhibited the maximum number of species (41.2%), followed by Chaemophytes (31.4%), Hemicryptophytes (13.7%) and Phanerophytes (10%), while the least frequent life form class was Geophytes. Chorological characteristic of the recorded flora showed that Saharo-Arabian and Sudanian elements constitute 43.6% of the total flora. It is concluded that the area is botanically virgin and not explored extensively and intensively even though rich in vegetation, provided floristic checklist, and strongly recommend further detailed study.