First published in 1990. A practical manual for identifying the plants of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. This guide is useful for development and conservation of natural resources, includes botanical terminology and so will appeal to those with this knowledge, but also due to the colour plates, to the non-specialist who might be interested in desert wildflowers of the area.

First published in 2005. Although most of the wealth of Saudi Arabia's flora lies in the wetter and hilly south-west of the country, the sand seas are covered by a relatively diverse range of plant species, with several distinctive plant communities. This is the first book to consider and analyse, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the patterns, nature, and communities of the vegetation of the sand seas, using new techniques. The result is a sound, complete and readable analysis of the vegetation of the sand seas, and one which will be of particular use to biogeographers, ecologists, environmental scientists, planners, conservationists, and those interested in the preservation of Saudi Arabia's natural heritage.

The inspiration for this book came from our ten years of journeys and wanderings through the varied landscapes of Arabia, and in particular through those of its hospitable southeastern corner, Oman. We owe a particular debt to Sultan Qaboos University, which during this time has provided us with both a stimulating working environment and a home. Transliteration of Arabic place and other names into English script is a task fraught with difficulties. We have followed 'accepted' spellings wherever these were not contrary to our common sense, and in other cases we have rendered names into Roman English script using phonetic spellings. Our main task in this respect was to ensure conformity between the fIfteen contributing authors. Diacritical signs have mostly been avoided, since their use is neither widely followed nor readily understood. Arabic words which have been commonly taken into the English language, such as 'sabkha' for a salt flat and 'wadi' for a valley with a seasonal watercourse, are not italicised in usage. However, other Arabic terms which are occasionally used in English but not as widely known, such as harrah for a basaltic lava fIeld and hima for a traditional grazing reserve, are italicised throughout the text.

First published in 2005. Although most of the wealth of Saudi Arabia's flora lies in the wetter and hilly south-west of the country, the sand seas are covered by a relatively diverse range of plant species, with several distinctive plant communities. This is the first book to consider and analyse, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the patterns, nature, and communities of the vegetation of the sand seas, using new techniques. The result is a sound, complete and readable analysis of the vegetation of the sand seas, and one which will be of particular use to biogeographers, ecologists, environmental scientists, planners, conservationists, and those interested in the preservation of Saudi Arabia's natural heritage.

A Bedouin asking a fellow tribesman about grazing conditions in other parts of the country says first simply, “Fih hayah?” or “Is there life?” A desert Arab’s knowledge of the sparse vegetation is tied directly to his life and livelihood. Bedouin Ethnobotany offers the first detailed study of plant uses among the Najdi Arabic–speaking tribal peoples of eastern Saudi Arabia. It also makes a major contribution to the larger project of ethnobotany by describing aspects of a nomadic peoples’ conceptual relationships with the plants of their homeland. The modern theoretical basis for studies of the folk classification and nomenclature of plants was developed from accounts of peoples who were small-scale agriculturists and, to a lesser extent, hunter-gatherers. This book fills a major gap by extending such study into the world of the nomadic pastoralist and exploring the extent to which these patterns are valid for another major subsistence type. James P. Mandaville, an Arabic speaker who lived in Saudi Arabia for many years, focuses first on the role of plants in Bedouin life, explaining their uses for livestock forage, firewood, medicinals, food, and dyestuffs, and examining other practical purposes. He then explicates the conceptual and linguistic aspects of his subject, applying the theory developed by Brent Berlin and others to a previously unstudied population. Mandaville also looks at the long history of Bedouin plant nomenclature, finding that very little has changed among the names and classifications in nearly eleven centuries. An essential volume for anyone interested in the interaction between human culture and plant life, Bedouin Ethnobotany will stand as a definitive source for years to come.