Floristic study of Bisotun Protected Area

Bisotun Protected Area, a mountainous region, covers an area of 82100 hectares that includes an area of 31250 hectare wildlife refuge and protected area with an area of 50850 hectares. The Area is located in the Zagros Mountains, Mid-Western side of Iran, Kermanshah province. This area due to range of altitude, physiographic factors, micro-climates and different soil types has several ecological small niches that are occupied by different plants. A total of 375 taxa, including 50 families and 220 genera have been identified from the area. Of these two families include two genera and three species belonging to Pteridophytes, 48 families (43 dicotyledones and five monocotyledones) belong to flowering plants. The most important plant families were Asteraceae, Poaceae, Papilionaceae, Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Lamiaceae respectively. The genus Astragalus constitutes the largest genus in the area. Therophytes had the highest frequency and follow them, Hemicryptophytes, Geophytes, Chamaephytes and Phanerophytes respectively. The elements of Irano-Turanian region constitute more than 63% of plants that represent area belongs to this phytogeographical region as well as the sector of Kurdo-Zagrosian. After the plants of Irano- Turanian region, bi and plurregional plant elements have the most frequencies. Endemic species make up 9.33% of the region's flora. The discovery of new species Astragalus ciceropsis, A. montis-parrowii and Onosma bisotounensis and new recorded Crucianella macrostachya from the protected area in recent years shows a previously unknown flora and its plant richness.