Plant associations of Eshtehard salt marshes in Karaj (Iran)

The vegetation of Eshtehard salt marshes in Karaj was studied, using the Braun-Blanquet method. Sixty five relevés recorded in different salt habitats were analyzed by Analyse Factorielle des Correspondances (AFC) and Classification Ascendant Hierarchique (CAH) methods, using the Anaphyto software. In general, 11 plant associations determined in the area: Aeluropodetum littoralis, Artemisietum sieberi, Atriplicetum verruciferae, Halimocnemietum rarifoliae, Halocnemetum strobilacei, Lepidietum pumili, Lycietum ruthenici, Phragmitetum stenophyllae, Salsoletum crassae, Salicornietum europaeae and Tamaricetum kotschyi. In addition, some of physical and chemical soil characteristics of plant association’s habitats were also measured. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the soil data. The results showed that, the most important soil characteristics affected on plant association’s distribution were EC, pH, Na, Ca, Mg, Cl, SO4, HCO3 and texture of soil.