An annotated plant checklist of the transboundary volcanic Mt Elgon, East Africa

Abstract

Mt Elgon is an ancient transboundary volcanic mountain found at the Kenya-Uganda boarder possessing high plant diversity. This study documents an updated checklist of the mountain’s vascular plants obtained through random-walk field excursions and retrieval of herbarium specimen tracing back to 1900. We compiled 1709 species from 673 genera in 131 families. One new species of the family Cucurbitaceae was also reported. This checklist records respective habitat, habits, elevation ranges, voucher numbers and global distribution ranges of each species. Native and exotic species were also distinguished, where 8.4% of the total species in 49 families were exotic species. There were 103 endemic species, while 14 species were found to be both rare and endemic. IUCN conservation status revealed 2 Critically Endangered, 4 Endangered, 9 Vulnerable and 2 Near Threatened species. This study presents the first and most comprehensive plant inventory of Mt Elgon that will facilitate further ecological and phylogenetic studies.