Six records of new and rare alien species to the flora of United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The article presents new records for six alien species previously not known or rare from flora of United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Sagina apetala Ard., Stellaria apetala Ucria (S. pallida (Dumort.) P. Fourn.), Stellaria media L. (Caryophyllaceae), Acalypha lanceolata Willd. (Euphorbiaceae), Boerhavia erecta L. (Nyctaginaceae), Oxalis dillenii Jacq. (Oxalidaceae). All of these species have been recorded for the first time from the Emirate of Fujairah in north-eastern UAE. Sagina apetala and Stellaria apetala were found on wet sand around Masafi in the Masafi Friday market, Acalypha lanceolata as a weed between plastic pots in Al Qalamoon Nursery in village Al Bidiya, Boerhavia erecta a common weed found in different places, such as roadside in a backstreet in Qidfa, as a weed in Salman Nursery in Masafi, on stone-gravel wadi banks near the Masafi Friday market Sur, in a plant nursery between pots Rul Dadhna, at the Salama Plant Nursery in Al Dibba town, as a weed on irrigated plantation, between irrigated lines and without irrigation on abandoned land in the Green Nursery Sales Dibba and on irrigation and weed in and between plastic pots, on sand between irrigated lines in nursery in Al Bidiya; Oxalis dillenii was found as a weed in the Masafi Friday market in around Masafi town, as rare weed in Al Shams Nursery and private nursery in 0.2 km South from Al Amerey Nursery in Al Dibba town. These taxa are new for the flora of Fujairah and the UAE. Stellaria media, a weed in small garden in Al Dibba and in Masafi Friday market, is rare in the UAE, and new for Fujairah. Species, synonyms, spatial distribution, habitat preferences, and species taxonomy with remarks on identification and differentiation from the most similar taxa occurring in the study area, as well as the list of localities are presented. Herbarium material was transferred to the Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute (LE), duplicates – to the Herbarium of Altai State University (ALTB) and the Scientific Herbarium of Fujairah (FSH, Wadi Wuraya national park, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates).