Flora of Egypt Checklist – Revised Annotated Edition 2009

The first edition of “Flora of Egypt Checklist” was published in 1995 to provide an updated list of the accepted names and principal synonyms of the taxa of native and naturalized vascular plants. The need for a new and revised checklist became obvious, especially after the publication of “Flora of Egypt” in four volumes (1999, 2000, 2002, 2005) which brought numerous taxonomic and nomenclatural changes.
The taxonomy and nomenclature in this checklist follow that the “Flora of Egypt”, with extra notes referring to any additions, changes or corrections. These notes may deal with different ranks of taxa.
For example, the family Apocynaceae is treated in a wide sense to include Asclepiadaceae and Periplocaceae. Another example: studies of the molecular phylogeny of Araceae and Lemnaceae in recent years have confirmed the long-suspected close relationship of the two families, despite their obvious morphological differences.
Family names will appear in this checklist as they were treated in the “Flora of Egypt” (1999-2005). The above examples of combining two or three families under one family name is given here to attract the attention of the users of this checklist about up-to-date concepts in taxonomic research based on molecular phylogeny.
Twenty-one species are recorded in this checklist as new to the Flora of Egypt. Numerous nomenclatural changes have been made, and are adopted in this checklist.
This checklist includes 2145 species and 220 infraspecific taxa of native and naturalized vascular plants. Cultivated plants are excluded, with the exception of 44 cultivated species of grasses (Gramineae) and four cultivated onions (Allium, Alliaceae). The number of families treated here is 129, including 755 genera.
Endemic taxa amount to 60, alphabetically listed here under their families, as these families have appeared in the four volumes of the “Flora of Egypt” (1999-2005). Near-endemic taxa amount to 93, known from Egypt and one neighbouring country.