The hydrophytes of the Sudan range from small floating plants to the tall reeds of the Sudd. They inhabit a diversity of habitats, and show remarkable vertical and longitudinal zonation, phyletism, growth forms and ecology. Ninety-five species belonging to 33 families are on record. One taxon (Suddia) is endemic. Their status reveals a disheartening situation. Negligence is reflected in meager studies, no attempts to utilize and no policy to conserve.
To conserve the diversity of the hydrophytes of the Sudan, a delicate balance between utilization, conservation and control is required. The fact that the Sudd has recently been declared a Ramsar site raises hopes that these objectives may be reached in a near future.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ali, O. M., 1977. Hydrophytic plants from the southern stretches of the White Nile. Report of the Jonglei Canal Project Mission. Hydrobiological Research Unit Report, University of Khartoum (mimeographed).
Ali, O. M., 1990. An Ecological Assessment of the Nile System in the Sudan over the Last Thirty Years. Nile Geographer 1: 1–9.
Andrews, F. W., 1945. Water plants in the Gezira canals. A study of aquatic plants and their control in the canals of the Gezira cotton area (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan). Annals of Applied Biology 32: 1–14.
Andrews, F. W., 1952. The Flowering Plants of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan I. Sudan Government Publication, Buncle & Co. LTD, Arbroath, Scotland, 237 pp.
Andrews, F. W., 1954. The Flowering Plants of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan II. Sudan Government Publication, 485 pp.
Andrews, F. W., 1956. The Flowering Plants of Sudan III. Sudan Government Publication, 579 pp.
Beadle, L. C., 1974. The Inland Waters of Tropical Africa. An Introduction to Tropical Limnology. First Edition. Longmans, London, 365 pp.
Beshir, M., 1978. Gravity-flow irrigation and the spread of aquatic weeds in Sudan. Environmental Conservation 5: 143–146.
Beshir, M. & A. I. El-Moghraby, 1980. Ecological studies on the Sudanese Nile System. Journal of Water Supply and Management 4: 25–28.
Dandy, J. E., 1937. The genus Potamogeton in Tropical Africa. Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society 50: 507–540.
Denny, P., 1984. Permanent swamp vegetation of the Upper Nile. Hydrobiologia 110: 79–90.
Denny, P. (ed.), 1985. The Ecology and Management of African Wetlands Vegetation. Junk, The Hague, 344 pp.
Desougi, L., 1980. Untersuchung zur Wasservegetation der oberen Donau, des Blauen und Weissen Nil-Systems. Ph. D. Thesis, Universitat Hohenheim (LH), Deutschland.
Dirar, M., 1951. The problem of Sudd in relation to stabilising and smothering plants. Botaniska Notiser 140:34–46.
Dumont, H. J., 2009. A description of the Nile Basin, and a synopsis of its history, ecology, bio-geography and natural resources. In H. J. Dumont (ed.), The Nile. Monographiae Biologicae, Vol. 89: 1–21. Springer, Dordrecht.
El-Moghraby, A. I. & M. O. El Sammani, 1985. On the environmental and socio-economic impact of the Jonglei Canal Project, Southern Sudan. Environmental Conservation 12: 41–48.
Gay, P. A., 1958. Eichhornia crassipes in the Nile of the Sudan. Nature 182–538.
Green, J., A. I. El-Moghrabi & O. M. Ali, 1979. Biological observations on the crater lakes of Jebel Marra, Sudan. Journal of Zoology, London. 189: 493–502.
Green, J., A. I. El-Moghrabi & O. M. Ali, 1984. A faunistic reconnaissance of Lakes Kundi and Keilak, western Sudan. Hydrobiologia 130: 33–44.
Hamdoun & Desougi, L., 1979. A preliminary survey of aquatic weeds in the Gezira canalization system. In Report of workshop on Aquatic weed management: integrated control techniques for the Gezira irrigation scheme. University of Gezira, Wad Medani.
Howell, P., M. Lock & S. Cobb (eds), 1988. The Jonglei Canal: Impact and Opportunity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 537 pp.
J. I. T., 1954. The equatorial Nile project and its effects on the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Report of the Jonglei Investigation Team. Sudan Government, Khartoum. Vols. 1–4.
Mackleay, 1953. Observations on birds of the Nile Valley. Sixth Annual Report of the Hydrobiological Research Unit, Khartoum University, Sudan, pp. 12–18.
Migahid, A. M., 1947. An ecological study of the ‘Sudd’ swamps of the Upper Nile Proceedings of the Egyptian Academy of Science 3: 57–86.
Migahid, A. M., 1948. Report on a Botanical Excursion to the “Sudd” region. Cairo University Press, Egypt, 159 pp.
Noordwijk, M. Van, 1984. Ecology Textbook for the Sudan. Khartoum University Press and Ecologische Uitgeverij, Netherlands, 264 pp.
Obeid, M. (ed.), 1975. Aquatic weeds in the Sudan with special reference to the water hyacinth. National Council for research and Agricultural Research Council, Khartoum, Sudan.
Philip, O., W. Koch & H. Koser, 1983. Utilization and Control of Water Hyacinth in Sudan. GTZ, Eschborn, 224 pp.
Renvoize, S. A., J. M. Lock & P. Denny, 1984. A remarkable new grass genus from the Southern Sudan. Kew Bulletin 39: 455–461.
Springuel, I. & O. M. M. Ali, 2005. Nile Wetlands: An Ecological Perspective. In L. H. Fraser & P. A. Keddy (eds), The World's Largest Wetlands: Their Ecology and Conservation. Cambridge, UK, 448 pp.
Talling, J., 1957. The longitudinal succession of water characteristics in the White Nile. Hydrobiologia 11: 73–89.
Thomson, K., 1985. Emergent plants of permanent and seasonally-flooded wetlands. In Denny, P. (ed.), 1985. The Ecology and Management of African Wetlands Vegetation. Junk, The Hague, 344 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media B.V
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ali, O.M.M. (2009). Aquatic Plants of the Sudan. In: Dumont, H.J. (eds) The Nile. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 89. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9726-3_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9726-3_23
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9725-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9726-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)