The Farasan Archipelago flora checklist

New Checklist of Farasan islands flora now available online (2016/17).

Keeping track of the 237 species listed under E-Flora of the Farasan Archipelago (http://ffa.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/12 ) has now been made easier through the development of an online database-driven Checklist of Farasan islands species. The checklist summarizes in outline form the number and identities of families, genera, and species of natural plants in the Farasan Islands. In the past, it serves as a companion to Saudi Arabia Flora and includes all the families, genera, and species covered in that book and many more besides. The checklist is updated from time to time as new information becomes available, thus it will evolve and change while the book remains static.

This state of the electronic resource provides users with an intuitive interface where queries can be made using not just scientific or common species names but also photograph, countries or regions, and any combinations thereof. The display of results can be further refined by selecting criteria such as synonyms or species names. The checklist can be used in a variety of ways by anyone wanting information about the plants in the Farasan Islands Data from the Checklist of the Farasan islands species can now also be downloaded in pdf format to follow the changes of data among different versions and it is easy for users that prefer information displayed in more traditional formats. Finally, it can also use the data in the development of electronic resources that require information on the Farasan islands specie.

From a biodiversity view, this checklist provides the most comprehensive listing ever assembled of plant species in the Farasan Island. Thus, those working in the ecology, conservation and land management. as well as government ministries faced with issues related to plant species and the biological problems associated with them, will find this checklist to be a useful reference in their research and organizing This database-driven Checklist was developed by using data from the major taxonomic databases, such as: Angiosperm phylogeny group (APGIV, 2016), The Plant List (The Plant List, 2013, Catalogue of life (Catalogue of Life, 2015) and Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS, 2016).

The families was updated following the formal classification of flowering plants performed by Angiosperm phylogeny group (APGIV, 2016). This updated helps in updated the families in flora of the Farasan islands and keeping the taxonomic treatment of Farasan Archipelago flora following and internationally recognized system at family level, and consequently it should include in any further update. Acritical synonymic inventory of vascular plants of the Plant List (The Plant List, 2013, Catalogue of life (Catalogue of Life, 2015) and Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS, 2016) were used as a guide to update the checklist through update the current nomenclatural status as the name is Accepted , Synonym or Excluded.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith