Home Page > Picture Archives > Flora of Qatar > Poaceae > Schismus arabicus

Schismus arabicus Nees

Synonyms

Schismus barbatus, Schismus calycinus, Schismus spectabilis

Common names

Festuca calycina, henaita

Extract from Wikipedia article

Schismus arabicus is a species of grass known by the common name Arabian schismus. It is native to southwestern Asia, and it is also known as an introduced species in the southwestern United States. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. It is an annual grass with stems growing up to 16 centimeters long and lined with threadlike leaves. The short inflorescence bears spikelets under a centimeter long.

AI-generated Description

Schismus arabicus is an annual grass native to North Africa and the Middle East. In Qatar, it has been found to grow in sandy areas, often as a pioneer species. Studies have shown that S. arabicus is widely distributed across Qatar, typically thriving in disturbed or open habitats with low vegetation cover. Its presence in Qatar's flora highlights the country's unique position at the crossroads of African and Asian botanical influences.

Schismus arabicus grass in sand at entrance of Umm Bab in south-western Qatar, February 21, 2014
Dukhan - Umm Bab Highway, Umm Bab, Qatar

Colony of grass Schismus arabicus in sand on roadside of Khawzan Road. Qatar, February 20, 2016
Unnamed Road, Qatar

AI-generated summary of observations

Observations of Schismus arabicus in Qatar reveal that it grows well in sandy environments. On February 21, 2014, the plant was found growing in sand at the entrance of Umm Bab in south-western Qatar. Two years later, on February 20, 2016, a colony of Schismus arabicus was spotted in sand on the roadside of Khawzan Road, indicating its ability to thrive in disturbed areas with minimal vegetation. The plant's presence in these locations suggests that it is adapted to survive in areas with low nutrient availability and high soil moisture variability. Its growth habit allows it to form small colonies, potentially outcompeting other species for resources. Overall, Schismus arabicus appears to be a hardy and adaptable grass species in Qatar's arid environment. It can grow in sandy soils and tolerate harsh conditions, making it a common sight in the region.

Links

• Flora of Qatar.
• Unknown plants or plants without names.
• Duplicate and extra pictures of plants.
• Earlier version of collection of plants.
• Other collections of pictures from Qatar: Lizards of Qatar, Cats of Qatar, Camels of Qatar, and Fish of Qatar.
• Picture archives.
• Home page of A. Sergeev.

Outside links

• Schismus arabicus, Wikipedia article
• Schismus arabicus from www.catalogueoflife.org
• Ekhlas M. M. Abdel Bary, The Flora of Qatar, Volume I: The Dicotyledons. Doha 2012
• Flora of Qatar, Volume II: The Monocotyledons
• Illustrated Checklist of the Flora of Qatar. John Norton et al. 2009
• Qatar eNature. Flora
• Ali Al-Rawi, Flowering plants of Kuwait, 1985
• Plants of Kuwait
• Flora of Saudi Arabia, Al-Qassim Region
• Flora of Eastern Saudi Arabia by Rain and Dust at Flickr
• Plants of South-Western Morocco
• Pictures from Qatar (Flickr/cpmkutty)
• Arabian plants by Gary Brown
• Flora of Israel

How the web page was created

• A list of plants with their common names was written using online sources and books.
• Web pages were written by a program consisting of several scripts.
• Full names, synonyms, and classification of plants were found online from catalogueoflife.org and theplantlist.org using a script.
• Pictures of plants were selected from a database using a script.
• This web page was written using a script.

Acknowledgements

QNHG (Qatar Natural History Group) and associated people, for a possibility to participate in their field excursions and to learn about local nature.