Sayagul G. Akhmedenova

The article presents the results of an integrative floristic study conducted in 2025 in the western Caspian region (Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) and the Sistan region (SE Iran). The study aimed to systematize and analyze new data on the distribution of rare, relict, and alien vascular plants in the Inder salt-dome area of Kazakhstan, in key regions of western Turkmenistan (Southern Pre-Ustyurt, the Bolshoy Balkhan Range, and Ogurchinsky Island) and southeastern Iran (Sistan Basin, the bottom of the former Hamun lake and its surroundings). Based on field expeditions (during which 236 herbarium specimens were collected) and critical analysis of regional floras, several new taxa were identified: Sabulina tenuifolia for Kazakhstan; Amberboa nana, Senecio glaucus subsp. coronopifolius and Polygonum neglectum for Turkmenistan. Juncus minutulus, previously known in Kazakhstan only from the Tian Shan, is reported for the first time from western Kazakhstan (Atyrau Province). In Turkmenistan, new regional records were obtained for the Southern Pre-Ustyurt, and 12 new species were documented for the flora of Ogurchinsky Island, reflecting rapid anthropogenic transformation of ecosystems due to forage importation for gazelles. Additionally, 5 new plant records are reported for the poorly studied Sistan region. These findings highlight the conservation importance of karst landscapes as biodiversity refugia and the need for enhanced monitoring of invasive species in Caspian ecosystems.

This article presents new floristic records for vascular plant species in the Eastern Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Armenia, based on field surveys conducted between 2018 and 2024 and a critical revision of herbarium specimens deposited in the collections of LE, ERE, TAD, PPIU, DAG, and MHA. In total, approximately 40 new localities are documented for 24 species, encompassing endemic, Red Data Book, and alien taxa. In Tajikistan (Eastern Gissar and Central Zeravshan subregions), five new populations of endemic species were recorded: Nepeta subhastata, N. odorifera, N. gontscharovii, Eminium alberti. In Kazakhstan (Inder Solyanokupolnyy Province [belongs to the Caspian Lowland; located within the Inder District in the north of the Atyrau Region of Kazakhstan], West Kazakhstan Region), seven species are reported as new to the regional floras, including Astragalus sareptanus, A. astrachanicus, Matthiola superba, Zygophyllum ovigerum, Rorippa wolgensis, and Jurinea persimilis; most of these findings are associated with karst landscapes that served as refugia during the Khvalynian transgression of the Caspian Sea. In the Russian Federation, Tanacetum macrophyllum and Digitalis ferruginea subsp. schischkinii are reported for the first time for Dagestan, Poacynum sareptanum – for Kalmykia (based on herbarium re-identification), and the North American invasive Grindelia squarrosa – for the Astrakhan Region, where it is actively spreading along roadsides. In Armenia, twelve new locality records are provided for eight species across several floristic regions, including the endemic Ferula dseghica (Yerevan floristic region), the relict Monotropa hypopitys (Sevan floristic region), new records of Parnassia palustris for the Zangezur floristic region, and the adventive Digitaria ciliaris for the Yerevan floristic region. The results highlight the conservation significance of karst landscapes in Kazakhstan and subalpine habitats in Tajikistan as refugia for rare endemics and underscore the active expansion of alien species along transportation corridors in the Caspian lowlands. The data contributes to updateing regional floristic checklists and Red Data Books.

A new hybridogenic species of the genus Astragalus of the section Paracystium Gontsch. – A. ivanovii – has been described from Western Kazakhstan. It is very likely derived from hybridization of A. lasiophyllus Ledeb. × A. sytinii Belous et Laktionov. On the other hand, in moderately saline soils, only A. ivanovii grows, where it apparently reproduces without the participation of probable parents. Thus, it is not a nothospecies but a partially stabilized taxon. The article includes author’s photographs of A. ivanovii and the species compared to it, as well as a photograph of the community where the type and isotypes have been collected. The article also provides an original key for identifying A. ivanovii and its probable parents, A. lasiophyllus s. str. and A. sytinii.

This article provides information about the discovery of new and rare plant species in the Caspian region and Southwest Asia. In total, the article presents new findings for 19 species of vascular plants from 5 countries, registered during field research, as well as during the revision of herbarium materials. For the first time, Lycium ruthenicum is reported for the flora of Armenia. A new record for the flora of Russia is Valeriana plagiostephana collected from the territory of Dagestan, and Gelasia tuberosa is for the first time reported for the flora of Turkmenistan. The remaining 16 findings, while not new to the countries, significantly expand the understanding of the distribution of these species. Thus, for the flora of Armenia, new locations of some rare and alien species are given that complement existing information (Foeniculum vulgare, Tripidium ravennae, Eleusine indica, Bothriochloa bladhii, Cleistogenes serotina, Adiantum capillus-veneris, Dianthus transcaucasicus). In Iran, three species (Chaerophyllum aureum, Heliotropium circinatum, and Bryonia monoica) are reported for the first time for Kurdistan (Western Iran) and one species (Haplophyllum canaliculatum) for Sistan and Baluchistan (Southeastern Iran). For the first time, Crassula vaillantii and Marsilea strigosa are indicated for the Atyrau Region of Kazakhstan. Bupleurum tenuissimum is given for the first time for the flora of Dagestan (Russian Federation). In Turkmenistan, a new location of the rare species Jurinea transhyrcanica was discovered for the first time in the western part of the Central Karakum, and a population of Crataegus germanica, which was considered extinct, was discovered in the South-Western Kopet Dag. For each species information on location, general distribution, occupied habitats and population status is provided.

Приводятся данные о новых находках 10 видов сосудистых растений, существенно расширяющих сведения об их распространении. Для флоры Туркменистана приводятся 3 вида. Впервые в западной части хребта Кугитанг отмечены Phlomoides kaufmanniana и Origanum tyttanthum. В Юго-Западном Копетдаге обнаружен Ammi majus. Для Западно-Казахстанской области Казахстана впервые приводится Ferula lehmannii, а для Атырауской области – F. karelinii. На юге Российской Федерации впервые для Ростовской области отмечены 2 новых вида (Ofaiston monandrum и Helichrysum nogaicum) и 3 новых вида впервые отмечены для Республики Калмыкия (Stipa cretacea, Arabis auriculata, Astragalus psiloglottis). Нахождение новых таксонов на территории Ростовской области и в Республике Калмыкия может быть связано с недостаточной изученностью флоры. Представительрода Ammi является новинкой для флоры Средней Азии.