A checklist of plants of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya, 2019

Study Extent

Plant specimens were studied from a wide range of locations across the extent of the whole forest reserve. Georeferencing of early specimens is renowned to be frequently very vague. Some specimens held by the Herbarium of the National Museums of Kenya and labelled as ‘Arabuko-Sokoke Forest’ may therefore actually have been located outside the formal forest reserve boundary. The majority of data were collected in 1990 with some additions made in later years until the present time, 2018.

Sampling

This Checklist contains records of plants found in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. The main core of species recorded are taken from confirmed observations during surveys by WRQL and SAR in 1993 together with reference to museum specimens labelled as having been collected in ‘Arabuko-Sokoke’. Further species have been added by WRQL. The data are aligned according to Darwin core standards before publishing through National Museums of Kenya Integrated Publishing Toolkit.

Quality Control

The species were confirmed by WRQL with reference to literature and specimens in the herbarium for the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi.

Method steps

1. Careful searches for different plants were made in all habitat types within the forest boundary. Easily recognised species were noted and specimens taken for later confirmation and preservation in the herbarium of species which were less well-known by the observers. A search was made through the Herbarium of National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, for specimens labelled as having been collected in Arabuko-Sokoke. These were also included in the species list.

Checklist of higher plants for Arabuko-Sokoke Forest at a genus, species, sub-species, variety and forma level.

1. Cleome sp. L.
   rank: genus
2. Trichostomum brachydontium Bruch
   rank: species
3. Artabotrys modestus Diels ssp. macranthus Verdc.
   rank: subspecies
4. Pellaea involuta (Sw.) Baker var. involuta
   rank: variety
5. Pentas parvifolia Hiern forma parvifolia
   rank: form

Restricted to plants within the boundaries of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Reserve.Latitude of 3° 20’ S, Longitude 39° 50’ E