Iman Hassan Nour graduated in Botany from the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt (2009). She has a Master’s degree (2014) and Ph.D. (2019) in Plant Taxonomy and Palynology from the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. Her research focuses on the taxonomy and systematics of angiosperms and the palynology of the current flora.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Plant Taxonomy-Angiosperms-Species Diversity-Classification of Flowering Plants-Systematics-Biodiversity-Vegetative Morphology-Floral Biology-Pollen Analysis-Melissopalynology-Pollen Morphology-Seed Morphology-Scanning Electron Microscopy-Phenotypic Plasticity-Flora
12
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Biological spectrum and phytogeographical patterns of endemic and near-endemic plants in Abyan Governorate, Yemen MADLEEN A. OBEL, GHALIA S. ALJEDDANI, ZAMILA M. MASDOOS, MOHAMMED A. HUSSEIN, ABDUL WALI A. AL-KHULAIDI, et al. Biodiversitas, 2026 Obel MA, Aljeddani GS, Masdoos ZM, Hussein MA, Al-Khulaidi AWA, Al-Gifri AN, Nour IH. 2026. Biological spectrum and phytogeographical patterns of endemic and near-endemic plants in Abyan Governorate, Yemen. Biodiversitas 27 (3): d270329. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270329. Yemen faces serious biodiversity challenges; documenting endemic and near-endemic taxa supports its strategic conservation goals. This study reports and catalogs the endemic and near-endemic plant species in Abyan, emphasizing their life forms, life spans, growth forms, and phytogeography. Vegetation surveys were conducted for two successive spring seasons in 2023 and 2024. The field survey used a timed exploratory meander technique using non-plot sampling to maximize detection of taxa in inaccessible areas of the study site. Eight mountain peaks were selected to reflect the geographic extent of the study region. Fifty-seven endemic and near-endemic taxa, representing 21 plant families, were recorded, of which 23 are endemic and 34 are near-endemic. Aloe serriyensis, Kleinia deflersii, and Stapelia × anemoniflora are endemic to Jabal Al-Arays, located in the Khanfir District of Abyan. The floristic study revealed that Apocynaceae and Asteraceae were the most abundant families. Forty-one genera were recorded, with Aloe being the most species-rich genus. Perennial plants were more abundant than annuals in the study area, reflecting their greater tolerance to arid conditions. Subshrubs represented the dominant growth form, surpassing trees, shrubs, and herbs. Among the five identified life forms, chamaephytes were the most dominant. Phytogeographically, the Sudano-Zambezian chorotype accounts for more taxa than the Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambezian, which is consistent with Yemen's geography and best represents hot desert habitats. Jabal Al-Arays comprises 57.9% of the total recorded taxa, including 13 near-threatened taxa and 1 critically endangered species. Thus, an urgent conservation plan should be implemented in Jabal Al-Arays through habitat protection and grazing control to safeguard endemic taxa under threat. Sustaining mountain biodiversity under increasing anthropogenic pressures and climatic change will require coordinated efforts among scientists, the governmental sector, and local communities, supported by predictive modeling to anticipate future biodiversity loss at high elevations in the coming decades.
Seed morphological diversity of Egyptian Allium L. (Amaryllidaceae) and its taxonomic significance Iman H. Nour, Ahmed K. Osman, Rim S. Hamdy, Ibrahim A. El Garf Acta Botanica Croatica, 2025 Allium L. (Amaryllidaceae, Allioideae, Allieae) has disputed generic delimitation and species boundaries, compounded by the proliferation of the species' synonyms. This study provides for the first time a comprehensive description of the seed morphology of native, endemic, and near-endemic species in Egypt and addresses the significance of seed traits for infrageneric classification. Twenty-two Allium taxa belonging to four subgenera and six sections were investigated using fresh or dry materials from their mature seeds. Thirty-eight quantitative and qualitative traits of the seeds' dorsal and ventral sides were investigated using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical and multivariate analyses were performed. This work provides the first description of the seeds of 13 Allium taxa, including A. artemisietorum Eig & Feinbrun, A. barthianum Asch. & Schweinf., A. blomfieldianum Asch. & Schweinf., A. crameri Asch. & Boiss., A. desertorum Forssk., A. erdelii Zucc., A. mareoticum Bornm. & Gauba, A. papillare Boiss., A. roseum subsp. tourneuxii Boiss., A. sativum L., A. sinaiticum Boiss., A. spathaceum Steud. ex A.Rich., and A. trifoliatum Cirillo. This study reports for the first time a comparative investigation of dorsal seed surface traits against ventral traits, revealing conspicuous differences for most species and highlighting the most informative diagnostic seed traits for distinguishing taxa. Allium subg. Allium L. has a broader range of variation than any of the other subgenera.
Taxonomic implications of normal and abnormal stomatal complexes in Indigofera L. (Indigofereae, Faboideae, Fabaceae) Mohamed O. Badry, Ahmed K. Osman, Mostafa Aboulela, Shereen Gafar, Iman H. Nour Protoplasma, 2024 This study is the first to report the foliar and stem epidermal micro-morphology of 13 taxa of Indigofera L. (Fabaceae) using light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The micro-morphological characteristics studied here are related to the epidermal cell shape, size, frequency, anticlinal wall pattern, and stomatal complex types, size, position, frequency, and index. The study revealed 19 major normal stomatal types with eight subtypes and seven major abnormal stomatal types with 13 subtypes. The stomatal index was lower on the abaxial leaf surface than on the adaxial surface. Notably, the adaxial surface of I. hochstetteri had the highest stomatal index (27.46%), while the abaxial surface of I. oblongifolia had the lowest (9.95%). The adaxial surface of I. hochstetteri also displayed the highest average stomatal frequency (38.67), while the adaxial surface of I. spinosa had the lowest average frequency (9.37). SEM analysis revealed that most leaves had slightly sunken to sunken stomata, while stem stomata were positioned at the same level as epidermal cells in most taxa. Indigofera's foliar and stem epidermal anatomy recommends their application as baseline data coupled with other taxonomic data for the delimitation and differentiation of closely related taxa in the genus. The study provides a comprehensive description, illustrations, images, and micrographs of the stomatal types, as well as a taxonomic key for distinguishing the studied taxa of Indigofera.
Protecting stable biological nomenclatural systems enables universal communication: A collective international appeal Pedro Jiménez-Mejías, Saúl Manzano, Vinita Gowda, Frank-Thorsten Krell, Mei-Ying Lin, et al. Bioscience, 2024 The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for “inappropriate” names. It is evident that such proposals come from very deep feelings, but we show how they can irreparably damage the foundation of biological communication and, in turn, the sciences that depend on it. There are four essential consequences of objective codes of nomenclature: universality, stability, neutrality, and transculturality. These codes provide fair and impartial guides to the principles governing biological nomenclature and allow unambiguous universal communication in biology. Accordingly, no subjective proposals should be allowed to undermine them.
Morphological, Anatomical and Chemical Characterization of Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae) Iman H. Nour, Khadiga Alhadead, Faten Y. Ellmouni, Reem Badr, Tamannouha I. Saad, et al. Agronomy, 2023 Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae, Acalyphoideae) is a highly variable species known as the castor oil plant. This study aimed to describe R. communis using several methodologies, such as vegetative morphometry, leaf surface ultrastructure, soil analysis, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, to understand the diversity of this species. The morphological analysis revealed that some samples had purple stems while others were grayish-green. The purple-stemmed R. communis phenotype reflects the intra-specific diversity of the species. The multivariate analysis of 25 R. communis samples based on 34 vegetative morphometric characteristics revealed that they belonged to three main groups (morphotypes). Each group attained some specific characteristics discriminating it from the other groups. Selected samples from each group were investigated using SEM, soil analysis, and GC-MS. The performed GC-MS technique revealed that six major compounds were detected in the chromatograms of the studied samples. The highest percentages of n-Hexadecanoic acid and 9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid were recorded. Ricinus communis demonstrated adaptive growth capability, where plants inhabiting coastal sites are salt-sensitive, while inland plants are relatively drought-tolerant species. The intra-specific variation between R. communis morphotypes indicated the possibility of the direct and indirect use of these varieties in genetic improvement programs of the species.
Floristic Diversity of Jabal Al-Ward, Southwest Tabuk Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ahmed Elkordy, Iman H. Nour, Faten Y. Ellmouni, Najla A. Al Shaye, Dhafer A. Al-Bakre, et al. Agronomy, 2022 Jabal Al-Ward is one of the Hijazi mountains situated between Al-Ulā and Al-Wajh, southwest Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia’s northwesterly border region. It is considered the highest mountain in this area and is enriched in wildlife. For the first time, the present research aimed to investigate the floristic composition, phytogeographical distribution, and plant diversity in Jabal Al-Ward. One hundred ninety-eight species representing 47 plant families have been identified. The Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae represented more than a third of the region’s floristic composition. The perennial species (53.5%) were dominant over the annuals (46.46%). This is a prominent feature in Jabal Al-Ward, where the perennial species may be more tolerant of climatic changeability than the annuals. Seven life form categories were found; therophytes (46.46%) showed to be the most common life form. In addition, there were four main phytogeographical groups: Mono-regional, Bi-regional, Pluri-regional, and Worldwide. The Mono-regional and Bi-regional categories had the highest participation, with 38.5% and 37.4%, respectively. Thirty-six species (18.2%) were found to be native to the Saharo-Arabian region. The Saharo-Arabian region was combined with eight more regions, including Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambesian (12.6%), Irano-Turanian/Saharo-Arabian (9.1%), Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian (5.6%), Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian (4.5%), Irano-Turanian/Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambesian (2%), Euro-Siberian/Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian and Saharo-Arabian/Sudanian (1% each), Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambesian, and Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Arabian/Saharo-Zambesian (0.5% each). The current study demonstrated the highest species richness compared to earlier research on various locations in Tabuk Province. In future work, the species and endemic richness along elevation gradients should be studied in Jabal Al-Ward. As well as the IUCN status of each taxon, the DNA barcoding of endangered species will be of great significance if applied in the surveyed area.
Palynological study of Allium L. (Amaryllidaceae) in the flora of Egypt Iman H. Nour, Rim S. Hamdy, Ahmed K. Osman, Mohamed O. Badry Palynology, 2022 Allium (Amaryllidaceae) is diverse and taxonomically problematic, with controversial subdivisions and polymorphic species. In Egypt, the genus has not been investigated satisfactorily in terms of palynology. The present study aims to provide palynological information on the endemic and near-endemic species of Allium for the first time in Egypt and to characterise the pollen diversity of the investigated taxa. The pollen morphology of 21 Allium taxa was studied comprehensively via Scanning Electron Microscopy. Twenty-five traits were surveyed, then subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Pollen grains are monads, heteropolar, monosulcate, or trisulcate, small to medium-sized (polar axis (P) = 10.44–29.76 µm, equatorial diameter (E) = 18.97–59.24 µm), and peroblate or oblate in shape. The sulcus may be anasulcate, meridionosulcate, or subzonasulcate. Sulcus ends are blunt, pointed, rounded, or undulated. The exine ornamentation is variable and diversified between the distal pole and the equator. The current study highlights the importance of pollen characteristics such as pollen size parameters, pollen shape, aperture type, polar outline, sulcus size parameters, sulcus type and end shape, distance between sulcus ends, exine ornamentation, presence or absence of perforations on the exine, and perforation size and density for the discrimination of Allium taxa in Egypt. The HCA confirms that pollen morphology has limited taxonomic usefulness at the sectional level for the studied taxa. The PCoA results, on the other hand, were more informative to visualise the infrageneric classification based on the studied palynological traits. A dichotomous identification key for 21 Allium taxa in Egypt based on palynological data is presented.
Investigating the phenotypic plasticity of the invasive weed trianthema portulacastrum l. Marwa A. Fakhr, Yasser S. A. Mazrou, Faten Y. Ellmouni, AlBaraa ElSaied, Mohamed Elhady, et al. Plants, 2022 Phenotypic plasticity is frequently highlighted as a key factor in plant invasiveness, as it enables invasive species to adapt to diverse, complicated habitats. Trianthema portulacastrum is one of the most common aggressive species that threaten different crops around the world. Phenotypic plasticity in T. portulacastrum was investigated by comparing variation in germination, vegetative macromorphology, photosynthetic pigments, stomatal complexes, and seed micromorphological traits of 35 samples collected from 35 different localities. One-way cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to classify samples into homogeneous groups based on the measured traits. Pairwise statistical comparisons were conducted between the three resulting groups. The phenotypic plasticity index (PI) was calculated and compared among different groups of characters. Results showed that photosynthetic pigments and macromorphological characteristics had the highest PI, followed by seed micromorphology, and then stomatal complex traits, while germination parameters showed the lowest PI. We propose that soil moisture, salinity, and temperature are the most determinative and explanative variables of the variation between the three classified groups. We strongly believe that the phenotypic plasticity of T. portulacastrum will support species abundance and spread even under expected changes in climatic conditions, in contrast to the vulnerable traditional crops.
