Population Studies of Limonium stocksii (Plumbaginacea) from a Salt Desert Near the Arabian Sea Coast

A population of Limonium stocksii was studied for one year at the upper end of Manora Creek along the Arabian Sea coast, near Karachi, Pakistan. The community was divided into three zones. Soil pH varied from 8.1 to 8.5. Soil conductivity was highest (191 dS m⁻¹) in September and lowest (55 dS m⁻¹) in June. Soil water content was relatively low and varied from 1.6% in February to 9.5% in June. Limonium stocksii maintained a persistent seed bank, which peaked at 5,887 seeds m⁻² in May. Very slow growth was observed; however, plants in the intermediate zone showed better growth than the other two zones. Stem and leaf tissue water content were affected by salinity fluctuations, but root tissue water remained unaffected. Sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) accumulated in stems and leaves more than other ions. Leaves also accumulated a very high amount of magnesium (Mg⁺⁺) compared to roots and stems.

Keywords

• Arabian Sea,
• halophyte,
• ion accumulation,
• Limonium ,
• population,
• salt desert,
• tissue