A Floristic Study of Vascular Plants in the Qalajeh Protected Area in Kermanshah Province

Identification of plant species in different habitats of the country, specially protected areas, is of special importance .In the present research, the flora of the Qalajeh protected area in the south of Kermanshah province was studied during the period from 1393 to 1395 (2015 to 2017). A total of 326 species (258 species of dicotyledons and 68 species of monocotyledons) belonging to 58 families and 225 genera were identified in this area. The largest families were Fabaceae with 13 genera and 43 species, Asteraceae with 29 genera and 39 species, Poaceae with 27 genera and 38 species, Apiaceae with 17 genera and 23 species, Lamiaceae with 13 genera and 21 species, Brassicaceae with 16 genera and 20 species, Boraginaceae with 10 genera and 13 species and Caryophyllaceae with 9 genera and 11 species. The life forms of the studied plant species included phanerophytes (5.2%), chamaephytes (7.7%), Hemicryptophytes (32.5%), Geophytes (11.4%), Therophytes (42.0%), Hydrophytes (0.9%), and Epiphytes (0.3%). From the chorological point of view, 26.3% of the total species were Irano-Turanian elements from which 4% were Iranian endemic species. The other species belong to two, three, or more phytogeographical regions.