A checklist of the flora of Shanjan protected area, East Azerbaijan Province, NW Iran

The flora of protected Shanjan rangeland in Shabestar district, Azerbaijan Province, NW Iran was studied using a 1 m x 1 m quadrate in spring and summer 2011. The climate of this area is cold and dry. In this area 94 plant species belonging to 25 families were identified as constituting the major part of the vegetation. The families in the area are Amaryllidaceae, Boraginaceae, Campanulaceae, Caryophllaceae, Cistaceae, Compositea, Cruciferae, Cyperaceae, Dipesaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Geraniaceae, Hypericaceae, Linaceae, Melvaceae, Orobachaceae, Papaveraceae, Paronychiaceae, Plantaginaceae, Polygolaceae, Ranunculaceae, Resedaceae, Rubiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae and Valerianacea. Floristic composition is Irano-Turanian elements. Detailed analysis showed that Biennial plants were 3.19%, Annual 41.49% and Perennial 55.32%.Keywords: Checklist, flora, edaphic grasslands, Shanjan Protected area, East Azerbaijan Provinc

Average stem biomass of Gundelia (Gundelia tournefortii L.) in Shanjan Rangelands, East Azerbaijan, Iran

The stem of plants can be used for animal grazing, wind erosion control, reduction of water flow, increase of evaporation and transpiration. In NW of Iran (East Azerbaijan Province), rangelands were utilized for animal grazing, but were later changed to agricultural land. Moreover, this vegetation has unsuitable vegetation coverage. We studied Gundelia tournefortii L. to determine its stem biomass characteristics. Data were collected with accidental sampling method (1*1 m) in this area. A total of 15 plots were collected and 75 samples were studied in this study. However, the minimum, maximum and mean stem biomass of this plant was 5.5, 22.6 and 10.5 g, respectively.Key word: Gundelia tournefortii L., Iran, rangeland, stem biomass