Loutfy Boulos: A pillar of Egyptian botany and his botanical legacy

This paper celebrates the incredible contributions of Loutfy Boulos to the Flora of Egypt. Boulos was considered an outstanding international Egyptian taxonomist. As a result of his extensive fieldwork, taxonomic expertise, and meticulous documentation and records, our understanding of Egypt's plant diversity has been significantly advanced. Through his botanical explorations across diverse regions, Boulos collected and identified numerous plant specimens, described new species, added new records, clarified taxonomic problems, and provided invaluable data for conservation efforts. Flora of Egypt's four volumes become an essential reference for researchers, educators, and conservationists. Later in 2009, an updated checklist of the native vascular flora of Egypt was published, with details on the occurrence at the regional level. Indeed, he provided invaluable information in our region's literature. This paper highlights Boulos' significant impact on the scientific community by expanding taxonomic knowledge, promoting conservation, and fostering international collaboration in the field of botany.


Introduction
Loutfy Boulos Tawadros  was an Egyptian botanist who provided significant contributions to the field of plant science, particularly in his home country.He is easily known through his monumental four-volume publication, Flora of Egypt.This comprehensive work was published between 1995 and 2007.Today his flora serves as a cornerstone for understanding the rich botanical tapestry of Egypt.
His botanical surveys in these countries were significant, and he played a key role in the establishment of several herbaria, as that in the University of Libya, University of Jordan, International Livestock Centre for Africa, and the National Research Centre in Cairo.The herbarium at the University of Kuwait (1984), in particular, was a notable achievement in the Arabian Peninsula as it received numerous collections from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, as well as North and South Yemen.Although the loss of his books, papers, and herbarium specimens during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Boulos had continued his work with remarkable resilience and dedication.His competence, scientific rigor, poise, and affability have earned him recognition and invitations to serve on various international committees and deliver lectures at scientific congresses.Boulos' contributions to the field of botany are a testament to his lifelong commitment to advance our understanding of plant diversity in arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa.
He had surveyed master's and doctoral students in several countries Boulos' academic career has been marked by his extensive fieldwork and participation in various research projects due to his numerous expeditions across Egypt, Arabia, Africa, and Europe since 1952.During 1994 and 2005, Boulos had conducted numerous botanical explorations in Egypt as a part of the Flora of Egypt project.
One of Boulos' most significant contributions to the Flora of Egypt project was his work on the taxonomy of Egyptian plants.As a renowned taxonomist, his expertise was instrumental in clarifying taxonomic problems, describing new species, and providing a comprehensive understanding of the country's plant diversity.Therefore his publications are considered essential references for scientists, researchers and conservationists.
His work had a significant impact on conservation efforts in Egypt.His detailed descriptions of plant species with illustrations, photographs, and their habitats have provided valuable information for conservationists, to protect Egypt's unique plant diversity.Additionally, Boulos' publications have raised awareness about the importance of conservation and the need for international collaboration in this field.
Many plants were discovered as new to science from Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Somalia, East Africa, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand ; while numerous new records were added to the flora of the Middle East.His contributions to taxonomy have been substantial, including the description of numerous new genera and species (listed in Appendix 2).Moreover, Boulos made the remarkable discovery of living specimens of the palm tree Medemia argun in 1963 in the Nubian Desert, which was previously only known from fruits found in ancient tombs in Egypt.

Extensive Publication Record
Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Boulos had published over 100 papers and articles, as well as, 15 books (Table 1).His published works include different themes, such as Common Weeds in Egypt (1967); Medicinal Plants of North Africa (1983); The Weed Flora of Egypt (1985, andrevised edition 1994); and The Weed Flora of Kuwait (1988).Noteworthy among these publications are the Flora of Egypt, with 4 volumes (1999 -2005) and an updated checklist of the native vascular flora of Egypt (2009).
His position as an influential figure in the field of botany had been solidified due to his extensive publications, active engagement in professional organizations, and significant fieldwork.His expertise in plant diversity and economic botany in arid regions has left a lasting impact on the understanding and conservation of plant life in the Middle East and North Africa.

Professional Engagements
Boulos' involvement in professional organizations reflects his commitment to advancing botanical science.He was frequently sought as a consultant and played a key role in the establishment of several scientific societies, as that of the Egyptian Botanical Society since 1954; the Association for Tropical Biology since 1961; and OPTIMA (the Organization for the Phyto-Taxonomic Investigation of the Mediterranean Area, Geneva, Berlin, Madrid) since1974; He became a member of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy in 1961; the Association pour l'Etude Taxonomique de la Flore d'Afrique Tropicale (AETFAT) in 1962; In recognition of his contributions, he was appointed a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, since 1974, and then Foreign Member of the Linnean Society (FMLS) since 2005.

Honors and Awards of Boulos
Loutfy's competence, scientific rigor, composed demeanor, and amiable nature earned him recognition and acclaim within the scientific community.Several species have been named in his honor, such as Atractylis boulosii Taeckholm, Crocus boulosii Greuter, Zygophyllum boulosii Hosny.He earned honors and awards for his outstanding role as: -Honorary Member, Al-Bayrunia Society, Rabat, Morocco, since 1985.Furthermore, his expertise led to invitations to deliver lectures at numerous scientific congresses, where he shared his valuable insights and findings.
-Prize in Biodiversity from the Council of Arab Ministers for Environment (1996).
-Foreign Member of the Linnean Society of London (FMLS), restricted to 50 persons (June 2005).

Boulos Legacy
Loutfy Boulos' dedication to Egyptian flora not only advanced scientific knowledge but also fostered appreciation for the unique plant life of the region.His meticulous documentation Flora of Egypt and checklist provide an invaluable data for future generations of botanists to study, conserve, and sustainably utilize Egypt's remarkable plant biodiversity.Boulos' legacy still continues to inspire and guide botanical research in Egypt and the surrounding areas.Following his death in the 27 th April 2015, his private books were partially donated to Qatar University, Mazhar Herbarium (MAZHAR), and Cairo University Herbarium (CAI) Furthermore, his private collection (6600 specimens) had been preserved and added to the Herbarium of Mazhar Botanic Garden.  1, 3, 4. Genève. (19841, 3, 4. Genève. ( , 19861, 3, 4. Genève. ( , 1989)).(with several authors).