Floristic and phytosociological study of Chaharzebar forests in Kermanshah

The Chaharzebar forests with 3000 ha area is located in a mountain section, 34 km S.W. of Kermanshah province in Zagros mountains. The collected plants in this area include 161 species and subspecies which belong to 124 genera and 40 families. The richest families are Poaceae, Papilionaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Apiaceae respectively.Therophytes are the most frequent biological type, and followed by Hemicryptophytes, Phanerophytes and Chamaephytes. In chorotype view, most of plants belong to Irano-Touranian region. The study of plant communities was based on Braun-Blanquet method. 28 releves were taken in different habitats and analyzed by Anaphyto software based on A.F.C and C.A.H methods. Totally, one association, Astragalo tortousi – Quercetum persicae, and two subassociations, acantholimono blakelockii-festucetosum ovinae and gundelietosum tournefortii were recognized. The recognized subassociations are different by exposure, slope and the quantity of organic matter of the soil.