A floristic study of Garasmasar Mountains: Mazandaran Province, Iran

Garasmasar mountainous area is located at 40 km southwest of Ramsar, west of Mazandaran Province, Iran with an altitude ranging from 1580 to 2850 m. The complicated topography and habitat heterogeneity led to the formation of diverse vegetation types in the area. The field data were collected by 30 phytosociology plots with an area of 25 m2 and also field sampling. Based on this two-year samplings in this region, 426 species belonging to 211 genera and 47 families were identified. In total, dicotyledons by 349 taxa, monocotyledons by 72, pteridophyte by 3, and gymnosperms by 2 species were observed. In this area, the most richness families were Asteraceae (52 species), Poaceae (42 species), Lamiaceae (39 species), Rosaceae (34 species), Fabaceae (29 species), and Brassicaceae (28 species), respectively. The floristic composition of the area was strongly influenced by a large number of Irano-Turanian by 211 species (50%), Irano-Turanian/Euro-Siberian elements by 83 species (20%), and the pluriregional by 50 species (12%). Based on Raunkiaer life form classification, hemicryptophytes and therophytes by 58% and 19% were the dominant life forms in Garasmasar altitudes respectively. This study area is one of the most diverse and inaccessible mountainous regions on the northern slopes of the Alborz range and could be considered as a protected area in the future.