This bryophyte flora of Southwest Asia is the first comprehensive, structured synthesis of the current knowledge available on the liverworts, mosses and hornworts of this region. The area covers Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen (incl. Socotra Island), summarized to a great extent as 'Asia 5' in the 'Index Muscorum'. In total, 1193 taxa (229 liverworts, 959 mosses, 5 hornworts) and nearly 2000 names and synonyms were treated in the dichotomous keys presented, including annotations to critical, doubtful or erroneously recorded species. 14 taxa represent new country/regional records and are listed together with their collecting data in a separate paragraph. The book includes all bryophytes known to date within the large and geomorphologically varied area. Many of the species are important initial colonizers of bare rocks, crusts and soil surfaces of steppes and deserts of this region and therefore forerunners in vascular plant colonization and succession. Because they serve as indicators of ecological disturbances and air quality, their knowledge is of fundamental importance for understanding phytodiversity and ecosystem evolution. This flora provides users with an up to date tool for at least a preliminary identification of any bryophyte in the area and may stimulate and promote greater interest in this often neglected or overlooked plant group. The flora is recommended to all botanists and ecologists, interested in bryophyte flora and vegetation, biodiversity, and nature conservation.

The new, enlarged and revised flora replaces the former flora "The Liverworts, Mosses and Hornworts of Southwest Asia (Marchantiophyta, Bryophyta, Anthocerotophyta)" (2011) which was the first comprehensive bryophyte flora and wellstructured synthesis of the current knowledge available on the liverworts, mosses and hornworts of Southwest Asia (Near and Middle East). As the former flora, this enlarged and revised new edition covers Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen (incl. the Socotra Archipelago), summarized to a great extend as "Asia 5" in the "Index Muscorum". Since the first publication in 2011, scientific interest in bryophytes drastically increases, resulting in more than 70 additional species, formerly unknown to the area and the first moss records to Qatar Peninsula. In total, nearly 1400 taxa (255 liverworts, 1128 mosses, 5 hornworts) and nearly 2300 names and synonyms were treated. The dichotomous keys provide families, genera and species, including annotations to distribution and to critical, doubtful or erroneously recorded species. The flora includes all bryophyte taxa known to date within this large and varied climatological and geomorphological area. It responds to the tools of the Conservation on Biological Diversity and the Target 1 of the updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Main goal beside identification is to achieve a checklist of all known plants of this often neglected and/or overlooked group of organisms. It is a further step to integrate Southwest Asia (Near and Middle East) into the Global Network of floristic knowledge. As many of the species are important initial colonizers of bare rocks, crusts and soil surfaces in steppe and desert regions of the area and are forerunners in vascular plant colonization and succession, their knowledge is of fundamental importance for understanding phytodiversity and ecosystems and provides access to taxonomic information, important for nature conservation. It enables us to give a more precise answer to the question how many plant species occur in the area and it is a step to enhanced education and scientific understanding on the wealth of plant diversity. The book is recommended to all botanists and ecologists, interested in bryophyte flora and vegetation, biodiversity and nature conservation and may stimulate and promote greater interest in bryophytes. We hope, it is also in future a mandatory reference for students, experts and researchers.

With the first volume of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East', all published data of hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) and liverworts (Marchantiophyta) are presented to provide a solid data base and background for the whole area. Starting with the beginning of the collection activities (e.g., Forsskål 1775) it covers the whole period till the end of 2019. It is the first comprehensive catalogue for these organisms including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (incl. Socotra). Knowledge of species and its distribution is essential for floristic inventories, species catalogues, and further tools such as community structure, composition, biomonitoring, nature conservation, life history traits (morphological, anatomical and physiological adaptations), biochemical compounds (secondary metabolits, antimycotica). In addition, species distribution and occurrence today and in former time, is of basic importance in understanding plant diversity and eco-system processes, development, function and changes, especially with regard to the present increasing human influence and global warming and future tools. Although hornworts and liverworts belong to a group of mostly very small organisms that often are neglected and/or overlooked, they play an important and outstanding role in many habitats in nearly all countries and landscapes of the Near and Middle East as they are found in the understory of forests and woodlands, as pioneers on soil and rock, in steppes and deserts (organisms of "harsh environment"), in swampy areas and bogs, or as epiphytes on tree trunks. As scientific interest in plant diversity drastically increases recently, the ongoing interest stimulated us, to prepare this kind of data base to provide a solid background of what is known in the different countries of the Near and Middle East. It is a further step to integrate this large area into the Global Network of floristic knowledge and the tools of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

With the sixth volume of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' (Pottiaceae “Eucladium – Z” till Trachypodaceae ; families in alphabetical order), consequently all published data of mosses between are presented to provide ‒ in addition to volume 5 (Neckeraceae till Pottiaceae “A – Didymodon”) ‒ a complete data base and background for the whole area. Starting with the beginning of the collection activities (e.g., Forsskål 1775) it covers the whole period till the end of 2019 and is the first comprehensive catalogue for these organisms including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (incl. Socotra). With the sixth volume, the catalogue of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' allows an easy access to what is recorded and known from the different countries of the Near and Middle East.

With the second volume of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East', (Amblystegiaceae till Brachytheciaceae; families in alphabetical order) consequently all published data of mosses are presented to provide a complete data base and background for the whole area. Starting with the beginning of the collection activities (e.g., Forsskål 1775) it covers the whole period till the end of 2019 and is the first comprehensive catalogue for these organisms including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (incl. Socotra). With the second volume, the catalogue of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' allows an easy access to what is recorded and known from the different countries of the Near and Middle East. It is a further step to integrate this large area into the Global Network of floristic knowledge and the tools of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

This entirely new English edition, comprehensively revised and edited by T.L. Blockeel, has been translated from German, with some additional text, by the authors. In a single volume, this work provides users with the means of making at least a preliminary identification of any bryophyte or fern which they might encounter in Europe or Macaronesia.