Turkish Journal of Forestry (Dec 2022)
Evaluation of plant material used in urban open green areas: The case of Haliliye district of Sanliurfa province
Abstract
As the basic component of urban open green areas, plants are extremely important not only with their aesthetic appearance but also with the ecosystem services they provide. In order for plants to provide the expected benefits from them, their characteristics must be known and the planting design must be planned and applied correctly. The plant taxa selected in the design of urban open and green areas should be evaluated as a whole with both their physiological and morphological characteristics. Therefore, in addition to the aesthetic properties of the plant material to be used in planting design studies to be made in cities, its aromatic properties, toxicity status and pollen spreading properties that may cause allergic reactions on humans should be examined and choices should be made accordingly. Within the scope of the study, 85 plant taxa were identified in the open and green areas of Haliliye district of Şanlıurfa province. These plants were evaluated in terms of life form, leaf condition, flowering period, aromatic properties, poisonous parts and allergen rates. As a result of this evaluation, it was determined that the use of natural plants was insufficient, deciduous and evergreen plant species were used in a balanced way, and there was an important richness in terms of aromatic plant diversity. In addition, it has been determined that there are a significant number of plant taxa containing poison, as well as the use of many allergenic plants in open green areas. As a result, various suggestions were developed regarding the use of plant species in planting design applications, and observation notes made in open green areas were shared.
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