A Floristic Study of Friedain Rangelands in Isfahan Province with an Emphasis on Preservation Value

Floristic studies are like birth certificates that reflect the past and present status of an area and also play a significant role in future predictions. The basis of sustainable development and principled application of natural resources is the conservation and safeguarding of plant species. In order to carry out this research, after recurrent visits and filed scrolling during different seasons in 2016 and 2017, plant samples were collected and identified in the Herbarium of Isfahan Jihad Agriculture Research Center. A total of 364 species of plants belonging to 257 genera and 57 families were identified. Asteraceae family with 67 species and Apiaceae with 38 species constituted the largest family, respectively. The results of the classification of the biological form of plants showed that the most abundant biological forms were hemicritophyte (50%), trophyte (23%), and camphyte plants (10%). Additionally, the geographic dispersion of plants in the area indicated that the elements belonging to the Irano Turanian (IT) region had for the highest frequency with 58.88%. Eleven vulnerable and 4 extinct species were identified in this region. This highlights the diversity of species in this genetic reserve in Iran, which should be protected.