Plants and Vegetation of North-West Persian Gulf [English / Farsi] The Coasts and Islands of Khore Musa, Mahshahr and Adjacent Areas

About this book

Language: Bilingual in English and Farsi

Plants and Vegetation of North-West Persian Gulf is a useful identification guide for the flora of South Iran, in particular Khuzestan Province and the countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. In the first chapter, the physico-geographical features of the study area, vegetation and threats to natural environment are discussed. The main part of the book describes 361 native and cultivated species, with data on their habitat, distribution in Iran and the world, including distribution maps of native species in Iran. Furthermore, characteristics of 15 large plant families are also presented.

Two new species (Salsola austro-iranica Akhani sp. nov. and Suaeda khalijefarsica Akhani sp. nov.) are described and one new name (Salsola kavirensis Akhani nom. nov.) is introduced. Plants and Vegetation of North-West Persian Gulf is a useful reference for students, nature hobbyists, tourists as well as experts in environmental science, natural resources, park and green landscapes.

The appendix contains an annotated checklist of native and cultivated species known from the NW coasts of the Persian Gulf, including the Islands of Khore Musa, Mahshahr and adjacent areas, with their common and/or vemacular names, life forms, population status in the study area, habitat and known or potential economic uses. The common vernacular and local names (partly Arabic) are given only in Farsi alphabet.

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Biography

Hossein Akhani is a professor in the School of Biology, University of Tehran. He received his Ph.D. from Munich University. His research is focused on the flora and geobotany of Iran and other South West Asian countries, the ecological distribution and phylogeny of plants and biodiversity conservation. He has worked on the flora and vegetation of Golestan National Park in North-Eastern Iran with two published books entitled Plant Biodiversity of Golestan National Park and The Illustrated Flora of Golestan National Park, Vol. 1.

The study of the halophytes (salt-tolerant plants), and the flora of salt marshes and the salt deserts of Iran is another focal point of Akhani’s researches. He was founder of the Botanical Department of the Iranian Natural History Museum (Department of Environment) and the Halophytes and C4 Plants Research Laboratory (University of Tehran). The naming of a tribe and three genera in Spinach family, and c. 100 new species or new combinations are among the botanical findings of the author. The named species included Bienertia sinuspersici, a single cell C4-functioning species and Salicornia persica, a tetraploid species. The first species is under active study for understanding the single-cell C4 mechanism, and the second species is apparently the most salt tolerant species in Iran, potentially suitable for cultivation as a halophyte crop. He is an environmental advocate, with many articles and interviews in various media.