Taxonomic analysis of saline habitats flora of the Southern Urals

The paper presents a taxonomic analysis of saline habitats flora of the southern Urals. The authors have established vegetation of 317 types of glycophytic and halophytic higher plants belonging to 172 genera and 44 families on the saline soils of the southern Urals (including adjacent territories). The number of halophytic species in the studied area is low and estimated at 59 or 18,6% of the total number of species. Among them are representatives of the genus Limonium, of the family Chenopodiaceae - Halimione verrucifera , Salicorna perennans , Suaeda acuminata , S. corniculata , S. prostrata ; family Asteraceae - Artemisia lerchiana , A. nitrosa , Cirsium esculentum , family Poaceae - Hordeum brevisubulatum , Puccinellia distans , etc. The vast majority of flora - 316 species (99,9%) - belong to the division Magnoliophyta, 251 species (79,4%) are Magnoliopsida members and 65 (20,6%) are registered in the class Liliopsida. The ratio of monocots and dicots is expressed in a proportion of 1: 3,8. The largest families in saline soils flora of the southern Urals are: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Fabaceae, Cyperaceae, Apiaceae, Rosaceae. Caryophyllaceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae number of species from 57 to 9, in total 247 species. There is a clear predominance of the hemicryptophytes - 232, 19 geoview, 11 - geloview, biennials - 9; one - biennials - 4, tirefits - 56, hamiphites - 19, nano phanerophytes - 5, - 1 phanerophytes. In halophytic communities on salted soils that form complexes with glycophyte ones 4 of relict and endemic species Koeleria sclerophylla , Glycyrrhiza korshinskyi , Nanophyton erinaceum , Ephedra distachya meet, 27 are in need of protection, including 4 halophyt ( Frankenia hirsuta , Limonium bellidifolium , L. macrorhizon , L. suffruticosum ).