The investigation of the flora, life forms and chorotypes of the plants in the Sheida Protected Area Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran

The floristic investigation of each area is one of the most effective methods for managing and conserving genetic storages of existing biodiversity. The Sheyda Protected Area with 23832 hectars is located in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari and its geographical position is 50 25ˊ to 50 44ˊ E and 32 33ˊ to 32 41ˊ N. The minimum and maximum elevation is 2100 and 3165 from sea level, respectively. In this study plant species in the area were collected and 316 plant species from 48 families and 206 genera were identified. The plant species mostly belong to Asteraceae (56 species), Fabaceae (36 species), Lamiaceae (32 species), Poaceae (29 species), Apiaceae (25 species) and Brassicaceae (18 species) families and Astragalus (17 species), Centaurea (10 species), Cousinia, Nepeta, Salvia, Stachys (5 species), Silene, Bromus and Hordeum (4 species) genera. Among these plants about 44.9 % are (medicinal), 34.8 % (pastural-feed), 6.6 % (poisonous), 5.3 % (weed), 4.4 % (industrial), and 3.7 % (soil conservation-cover) uses. The life form of plant species according to Raunkierʼs method are consists of 48.7 % hemicryptophytes, 31.3 % therophytes, 10 % camaephytes, 8 % geophytes and 2 % phanerophytes. The chorotypes of plants species showed that 64.2 percent (203 species) of the plant species belonged to Irano–Touranian zone. Other species in addition to Irano–Touranian zone grew in other geobotanical zones too.