Exploring the Flora of the Eastern Slope of the Alborz Mountains and Ab-barik Protected Area in Rigan city

The present study explored the flora of the watershed in Ab-barik area of Rigan city in Bam, which is located between 58-23 E to 58-43 E and 28-24 N to 28-34 N. The area of the watershed is 364.64 sq km (i.e., 364 hectares) and the altitude from the sea level is 700 1500 meters. The average annual rainfall is 100 mm. With regard to plant geography, this region is located within Irano-Turanian vegetation region. The rare species were identified and their geographical distribution and biological forms were studied. Generally speaking, 134 families, 107 genera, and 49 plant species were identified and collected, of which 15.6 percent belonged to Irano-Turanian region. The results indicated that 77% of the vegetation properties of the region was Irano-Turanian, 15% was Irano-Turanian and desert-sandy, 4% was desert-sandy, 3% was Irano-Turanian and Mediterranean, and the remaining 1% was of other properties. The high percentage of Irano-Turanian properties may be attributed to the distance of the region from the other vegetation areas. With respect to the number of species, Asteraceae with 20, Papilionaceae with 15, Boraginaceae with 10, and Lamiaceae with 7 species were the most common ones analyzed. The life forms of the studied plants were categorized as: Therophytes (31%), Hemicryptophytes (26%), Chamaephytes 21%), Phanerophytes (20%), and Geophytes (3%). The biological form of the plants is indicative of desert areas in which Therophytes are the most common form. The frequency of the Therophyte species relates to the elevation of the region and the severe and apparent damage caused by overgrazing and deforestation.