Since then countless collectors and travellers have visited Arabia, yet, whilst there has been considerable interest in the plants of the region, no detailed Flora has been attempted. In the early 1980s, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, recognising that the absence of a modern flora covering the entire region was a major constraint on research concerning the natural environment of the area, launched a project to produce a Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Soqotra . The Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Soqotra aims to provide a regional framework for the flora of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The Flora is designed to be of use to specialist and amateur alike.
Descriptions are concise and keys are constructed to be simple and easy to use.
It is comprehensively illustrated and, as it is intended as a reference source, full citations are given for species and synonyms, with references to useful works also supplied. Dot maps are provided for all species. The sequence of families will follow the system of Engler and Prantl. Volume 6 will contain a key to families and monographic chapters on vegetation, phytogeography, etc. The editors would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in contributing to future volumes.