Riverain vegetation in the Nile valley in Upper Egypt

Abstract. Naturaland semi-natural plant communities occurring in the Nile Valley in Upper Egypt are described and their position in the zonation along the river bank interpreted. With the help of ordination and classification methods relationships among the 13 community types and their distribution along the predominating moisture gradient are elucidated. The vegetation of the Nile Valley can be described as a series of discrete plant community types on the basis of their floristic composition, structural components and habitat conditions. The communities can be grouped into four higher units, considered as formations: swamp, meadow, thorn-bush and riverain woodland.