Flora, life form and chorology of vegetations inhabited in aquatic and moist habitats of Qom province, Iran

Abstract

Qom province has a dry climate according to the Domarten classification, but some aquatic and wet habitats in different parts of the province have provided the possibility of growing various aquatic and waterfront plants. In this study, plants that grew in aquatic and moist habitats of the province were collected in different seasons of the year and, after transfer to the herbarium, were identified based on relevant botanical literature. A total of 73 taxa including four species of green macroalgae (charophytes), one species of bryophyte, and 68 species of vascular plants from different parts of the province were identified. Dicotyledonous plants accounted for 77% and monocotyledonous plants for 12% of the studied habitats. Amaranthaceae and Caryophyllaceae were the most present families. Among the collected plants, therophytes and hemicryptophytes are the most abundant life forms, followed by geophytes. In terms of phytogeographical distribution, most of the vegetations of the studied habitats were assigned to the Irano-Turanian chorotype, followed by pluriregional elements, Irano-Turanian / Mediterranean, and Euro-Siberian / Irano-Turanian / Mediterranean. Generally, the observed chorotypes revealed the ecotone situation of Qom province.

Keywords

• ecotone
• habitat
• life form
• plant
• vegetation