Floristic analysis and vegetation structure of Wadi El-Natrun, Egypt

Wadi El-Natrun considered among the important depressions in the Western Desert for land reclamation and utilization.Altogether 142 species belonging to 108 genera in 35 families were recorded.This study confirmed the record of 61 species considered new additions to the flora of Wadi El-Natrun,and 101species disappeared from the flora of Wadi El-Natrun. Four main habitats were distinguished:(1) the croplands (irrigated field plots);(2) the orchards (cultivations of fruit trees);(3)the waste lands (moist land and abandoned salinized field plots);and(4)the lakes (salinized water bodies),croplands and orchards were the two distinguished agro-ecosystems.The floristic relationships between the flora of Wadi El-Natrun depression with those of other oases revealed that 39 species were confined to Wadi El-Natrun and 22 species were of common occurrence.Linear correlation coefficients(r) showed that the highest significant correlation was between Kharga and Dakhla Oases (0.70) in one hand and between Kharga Oasis and Wadi El-Natrun (0.61)in the other.Application of multivariate analysis techniques to the floristic data of and soil features around the yielded five communities.