The floristic study of Golestankooh area in Isfahan Province, Iran

Golestankooh, with an area of 130000 ha, is located in Isfahan Province. The present study was carried out in order to identification of flora of the aforementioned region, as a result, 620 taxa in total, belonging to 61 families and 303 genera, were identified. Asteraceae, represented by 104 species, was the largest family, following with Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Brassicaceae with 63, 60 and 59 species, respectively. Astragalus, with 33 species, was the most diverse among the genera studied. Hemicryptophytes with 41% and therophytes with 34% are dominant life forms in the region. With regard to geographical distribution, 300 species (48%) were found to be Irano-Turanian elements. Moreover, 130 species, 21% of the identified plant taxa from the region, were found to be endemic to the flora of Iran. Due to high species diversity in the Golestankooh area, it seems necessary to use appropriate strategies for their conservation.