Floristic characteristics of the Hyrcanian submountain forests (case study: Ata-Kuh forest)

Ata-Kuh forest, a preserved area within Hyrcanian relict forests, with an area of ۷۰۰ ha is located in north of Iran. Based on floristic studies from ۲۰۱۱ through ۲۰۱۲, ۱۹۴ vascular plant species were identified belonging to ۱۴۳ genera and ۶۶ families. Among our samples, ۲۴ taxa were endemic to Hyrcanian area. The largest families in the area were Rosaceae (۱۰.۳ %), Poaceae (۹.۷ %), Asteraceae (۶.۷ %), Fabaceae (۵.۶ %) and Lamiaceae (۵.۱ %). The genera represented by the greatest number of species were Rubus (۸ species), Carex (۷ species), Viola and Euphorbia (each with four species). Classification based on life form indicated that geophytes comprise the largest proportion of the plants in the studied area. From the chorological point of view, the largest proportion of the flora belonged to the Euro-Siberian elements (۶۰ taxa, ۳۱.۱%). In this study, a comparison was performed between our results and other studies on the northern Iranian forests with respect to life forms and phytochoria. Psilotum nodum is reported here again from a new locality in North Iran, indicating the old Tertiary history of this forest.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ata ، Ata-Kuh ، Chorology ، Kuh ، Floristic richness ، Lahijan ، Life form ، North of Iran