Flora and vegetation features of the stow «Chalk slopes to the Proval river» (Ulyanovsk Region)

The paper contains the vegetation study results of the valuable botanical object «Chalk slopes to the Proval river». The stow is located in the vicinities of the village Beketovka (Veshkaymsky District of Ulyanovsk Region) and is proposed for inclusion in the regional network of protected areas. The data of floral and phytocenotic studies are presented. The flora of the stow «Chalk slopes to the Proval river» contains 287 species of vascular plants including 8 species listed in Red data book of the Russian Federation: Hedysarum gmelinii, Iris aphylla, Koeleria sclerophylla, Matthiola fragrans, Pinus cretacea [P. sylvestris var. cretacea], Stipa pennata, S. pulcherrima, Thymus dubjanskyi [Th. cimicinus auct. p. max. p.]. The regional rare and requiring protection plants are Adonanthe vernalis, Anemone sylvestris, Asperula exasperata, Aster alpinus, Betula krylovii, Bupleurum falcatum, Carex pediformis, Centaurea ruthenica, Crepis pannonica, Delphinium cuneatum, Galatella linosyris, Galium hexanarium, Gentiana cruciata, Gentianella amarella, Helianthemum canum, H. nummularium, Helictotrichon desertorum, Herminium monorchis, Jurinea ledebourii, Linum flavum, L. uralense, Onosma simplisissima s. str., O. volgensis, Otites baschkirorum, Parnassia palustris, Polygala cretacea, P. sibirica, Pulsatilla patens, Scabiosa isetensis, Schoenus ferrugineus. Calcephitic florocoenotic complex of the stow «Chalk slopes to the Proval river» (Ulyanovsk Region) is characterized by a mosaic of vegetation. Here, in a relatively small area, meadow, petrophytic and grass-mixed steppes, forest edges communities are presented. The floristic composition of these communities is peculiar and characterized by the presence of a large number of rare species including relict and endemic elements. In addition, in the central part of the Volga Upland, only a small amount of erosion-chalk landscapes with a high degree of preservation is known. The studied stow is recommended for inclusion in the system of protected areas of the Ulyanovsk Region.