Charophytes of the Sultanate of Oman, Southern Arabia

Seven species of charophytes including six new records to Oman and four new records to the Arabian Peninsula have been reported. These are: Chara contraria, Chara denudata, Chara fibrosa, Chara vulgaris, Chara zeylanica, and its var. diaphana f. oerstediana, Lamprothamnium succinctum and Nitella mucronata. Detailed description of each taxon with photomicrographs is given. The most common species is C. zeylanica and the frequency of occurrence in descending order is C. zeylanica > C. denudata = C. fibrosa > C. contraria = C. vulgaris > L. succinctum = N. mucronata. Some aspects of the ecology of Oman charophytes are described and discussed.