Papaver rhoeas

Hatmi, S. Al, Al Hinai, Abdulrahman, Al Qassabi, Zawan, Alzahrani, Ali Mohammed & Knees, Sabina, 2024, STUDIES IN THE FLORA OF ARABIA: XXXV. NEW RECORDS FROM THE SULTANATE OF OMAN, Edinburgh Journal of Botany 81 (2002), pp. 1-11 : 8-9

Papaver rhoeas L.

This is a cosmopolitan annual weed. The native range of this species is North Africa, Europe and Western Asia, and it is introduced and naturalised in the Americas and temperate regions of southern Africa and Australia ( POWO, 2023). In the Arabian Peninsula , the corn poppy has so far been recorded from only Saudi Arabia and Kuwait ( Miller & Cope, 1996). This is the first record of this species from southern Oman; the other two species in this genus, Papaver laevigatum M.Bieb. and P. decaisnei Hochst. & Steud. ex Elkan , are both recorded from Musandam, northern Oman.

The new record of Papaver rhoeas for Oman was collected from Dhofar, Jabal Al Qamar, close to the Taitam road intersection in shrubland with Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata

(Wall. & G.Don) Cif., in the montane drought-deciduous sclerophyllous Olea europaea – Gymnosporia dhofarensis (Sebsebe) Jordaan woodland community. Despite an intensive search of the whole area, only one red poppy plant was found, surrounded by large communities of the invasive Parthenium hysterophorus .

Specimens. OMAN. Southern Oman: Dhofar, Taitam road intersection (21 km west of Salalah ), 17°01′37.6′′N, 53°54′27.3′′E, 388 m, I. Al Rashdi, L. Al Harthy, A. Al Hinai, S. Al Hatmi RHHH 26 ( OBG) .