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Res. Bult., No. (123), Agric. Res. Center, King Saud Univ., pp. (5-20) 2003

CONTRIBUTION TO THE FLORA OF GASH

DELTA, EASTERN SUDAN

Kamal F. Elkhalifa1 M. A. M. Ibraheim

2 G. M. El Ghazali

3

ABSTRACT

The present study forms a checklist on the flora of the Gash

Delta, Eastern Sudan. The materials examined included freshly

collected specimens plus all specimens deposited at various herberia

and those reported for the area in different publications. A total

number of 163 plant species were documented to represent the present

flora of the Gash Delta. The study resulted in identification of a

number of species not recorded in the main flora of the Sudan, in

addition to updating of names for seven families and twenty eight

species

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1Plant Production Dept., College of Agriculture, King Saud University, P.O. Box:

2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

2College of Natural Resources, University of Western Kordfan, Sudan

3Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, National Research Centre, Khartoum,

Sudan

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INTRODUCTION

Studies on the flora of the Sudan are few and were represented

in the works of Broun and Massey (1929), and Andrews (1950 and

1952) which may be regarded as the standard reference floras of the

area. Recently, El Amin (1990) made a valuable attempt to up-date the

trees and shrubs of the Sudan.

Studies on regional floras include Crowfoot (1928), Andrews

(1948), Obaid and Mahmoud (1968), Sahni (1968), Ahti et al. (1973),

Hassan (1974), Wickens (1976), Thirakul (1984), Bebawi and

Neugebohrn (1991) and Braun et al. (1991). In addition, there exist

some theses, dissertations and reports that include Al Awad (1981,

1985), Kordofani (1985), El Ghazali (1983), Gumaa (1988) and

Ahmed (1985).

The flora of the Gash Delta was selected for investigation in

the present study for a number of reasons. First, large number of

specimens previously collected from the study area were encountered

in various herberia need to be updated and incorporated in the main

flora of the Sudan. In addition, Gash Delta, besides its importance

from Agricultural point of view, possesses a great deal of fodder and

medicinal plant species that some of which, the sensitive, might be

eliminated without being recorded.

The present study aimed to document the present flora of the

Gash Delta, Eastern Sudan and consequently contribute to the

updating of the Sudan's flora.

Study Area:

The study area is confined to the Gash Delta, Kassala State,

Eastern Sudan. It lies approximately between latitudes 15 28 and 16

26 North and longitudes 35 56 and 36 26 East. The Delta stretches to

about 110 km. North-East of Kassala town(Map 1).

The climate of the study area is described with respect to two

meteorological stations located at Kassala and Aroma towns for the

period 1961-1990 as follows:

Average temperature at Kassala is 41.6 oC in May to 16.5

oC

in January, while it is 42.5 o

C and 14 o

C at Aroma, respectively.

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Map 1: Study Area Showing Sample Collection Sites

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The rainy season (July-September) is with mean annual

rainfall of 251mm per annum at Kassala, and 193mm at Aroma.

Relative humidity varies from 27% in April to 60% in August

at Kassala, and from 27% to 48% at Aroma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The authors collected four specimens for the plant species in

the study area. The fresh specimens were collected via four field trips

in the different seasons of the year. The collection sites were Bushara

village, Wad Sharifi, Kassala, Gammam, Makali, Aroma, Degain,

Hadalia and Wagar (Map 1). Materials collected were examined

initially for their classification, and further analysis was carried out by

dissecting mainly the floral parts using MbC-10 dissection

microscope. All specimens were deposited at, and confirmed with the

herbarium of the Medicinal and Aromatic plants Research Institute,

National Center for Research, Khartoum. Further confirmation was

made by comparison with the specimens from Botany Depatment

Herbarium, University of Khatoum.

The synonyms of species identified (where exist) were

extracted from references such as Wickens (1976), Hutchinson and

Dalziel (1963), Milne-Redhead and Pothil (1960-1982). The

vernacular names, however, were questionnaired from local people in

the study area, or extracted from Andrews (1949, 1953) and Hassan

(1974).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A total of 163 plant species were studied from the Gash Delta

(table 1), these belong to 112 genera in 41 families. Out of the whole

number 138 species are dicotyledonous and 25 are monocotyledonous.

As far as the material examined is concerned, this study is complete as

it includes also all species of the study area deposited at various local

herbaria and those previously reported in the main flora of the Sudan

(Andrews, 1950 and 1952).

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Most of the species documented in this study have a wide

geographical distribution while some are restricted to North-Eastern

Sudan. However, only five species are indigenous to the Gash Delta,

namely Amaranthus tricolor L., Combretum gallabatense Schwent.,

Flavaria trinervia (Spreng) Mohr, Paniccum colaratum L. and

Pulicaria salicifolia.

Most of the species listed exhibited uniform morphological

characteristics in connection with previous published description.

Cleome gynandra L. and Basilicum polystachyon were notable

exception in this respect. The leaves of the former was found to

possess different number of leaflets ranging from 3-7 while Andrews

(1950) reported the species to be confined to 5 leaflets per leaf, while

the stem of the latter was found to have quadrangular instead of

cylindrical as described by Andrews (1950). This might be a

biological variation or to the comparison within a wide range as such

authors had dealt with the whole of the Sudan's flora or regional

floras.

The present study also updates or give synonyms of twenty

seven species (table 2).

In addition, this study included three plant species that were

not reported by Andrews, these are Acanthospermum hispidium DC.,

Senna (Cassia) obtusifolia L. and Trianthema portulacastrum L.

(Figure-1 a, b, c). However, the second species was recorde by El

Amin (1990) to be existing in water sites in Kassala.

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Table 2: List of the changed scientific names

Faidherbia albida(Del.) Achev Acacia albida Del.

Alternanthera pungens Kunth Alternanthera repens L.

Spermacoce chaetocephala DC Borreria compacta (Hiern) K.

Senna italica Mill. Cassia italica

Chamaecristanegrican(Vahl.)

Greene Cassia nigricans Vahl

Senna occidentalis(L.) Link. Cassia occidentalis L.

Senna alexandrina Mill Cassia senna L.

Senna obtusifolia(L.) Trwin

And Barneby Cassia tora Oliv

Citrullus colocynthis(L.)

Schrad Coloyynthis vulgaris Schard

Citrullus lanatus(Thunb.) Manst Colocynthis citrulus(L.) Kuntze

Kedrostisgijef(J.F. Gmd.)

C. Jeffery Corallocarpusgijef

Cordia sinensis Lam. Cordia rothii Roem & Schult

Crassula schimperi Fisch& May Crassula pentandra

Cucumis melo L. Cucumis melo var. agrisits Naud

Cuscuta australia R. Br. Cuscuta cordofana Englelm

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Continued …………….. Table 2

Eragrostis ramaquinsis

Schrader Eragrostisdiplachnoides Steud

Eragrostis cilianensis(All)

Lutin

Eragrostis megastanchya(Koel.)

Link

Cleome gynandra L. Gynandropsis gynandra (L.)

Briq.

Ipomoea heterotricha F. Didr Ipomoea amoenula Dandey

Ipomoea tenuipens Verdc. Ipomoea pulchella snesu Kak.

non Rath

Leptadenia arborea(Forssk.)

Schweinf

Leptadenia heterophylla(Del.)

Deene

Leptadenia hastate(Pers.) Dence Leptadenia lancifolia Schurm &

Thonn.

Muika maderaspatana(L.)M.J Melothria maderaspatana(L.)

Kogn.

Memordica cymbalaria Hook Memordica tuberose(Roxb.)

Cogn.

Phyllanthus fraternus Webster Phyllanthus niruri L.

Sesbania hepperi J.B Gillett Sesbania Arabica Steud &

Hochandst

Solanum coagulans Forssk. Solanum dubium Fres.

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Figure-1 a: Acanthospermum hispidum DC. (XI)

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Figure-1 b: Senna obtusifolia (L.) Irwind & Barneby. (XI)

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Figure-1 c: Trianthema porulacastrum L.

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