Vascular plants of Afghanistan – an augmented checklist – Funding: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) & the German Department of Foreign Affaires (AA) Siegmar-W. Breckle (Bielefeld), Ian C. Hedge (Edinburgh), M. Daud Rafiqpoor (Bonn) Contributors: D. Albach, B. Dickoré, F. Ehrendorfer, C. Fraser-Jenkins, H. Freitag, R. Fritsch, W. Greuter, D. Podlech, F. Sales

How many different plant species do we find in Afghanistan? 60° 65° 70° 75°

Introduction: Uzbakistan Tajikistan Afghanistan is topographically very complex (Fig. 1); its geology, soils, and climates are very diverse (RAFIQPOOR &BRECKLE Faizabad !( 2010: see BRECKLE &RAFIQPOOR: Field Guide Afghanistan [FGA]: 23-77), as well as its natural vegetation (Fig. 2) (FREITAG et al., Turkmanistan !( Mazar-e Sharif FGA 2010: 79-115) and flora. Because of the country's tremendous habitat heterogeneity (geodiversity) a high floristic diversity (biodiversity) could be expected.

Methods: 35° 35° Kabul Inventories in herbaria, floras, floristic and taxonomic papers, online taxonomic data banks, photo archives, expert knowledge, Herat !( !( etc. <50 m 50 - 250 Aims: 250- 500 500 - 1.000 Critical inventory of valid nomenclature, synonymy, data on internal and external geographical distribution, altitudinal range, 1.000 - 1.250 1.250 - 1.500 degree of endemism of taxa; working list for future studies; working list for future studies; data-files for many future applied 1.500 - 1.750 projects (Agriculture, Forestry, nature conservation etc.). 1.750 - 2.000 !( Qandahar 2.000 - 2.500 2.500 - 3.000 Checklist: 3.000 - 3.500 !( Zaranj 3.500 - 4.000 In December 2013 the „Vascular Plants of Afghanistan – an Augmented Checklist“ has been published. It is the obligatory Iran 4.000 - 4.500 4.500 - 5.000 scientific amendment to the published FGA with 1,200 species in 2,000 colour photographs. An evaluation of species-numbers 30° 30° 5.000 - 5.500 (Fig. 3), number of genera (Fig. 4), species-rich genera (Fig. 5) etc. is included. It provides founded knowledge on biodiversity 5.500 - 6.000 issues as well as on how to collect and document digitally herbar specimens. Main references used: World checklist of selected 0200100 6.000 - 6.500 6.500 - 7.000 Pakistan plant families; Rechinger’s 179 fascicles of Flora Iranica; Flora of Pakistan; Flora of China, Flora of Iran (Farsi) etc. See list of Kilometres >7.000 m

References below. 60° 65° 70° 75° Fig. 1: Physical Nature of Afghanistan

60° 65° 70° 75°

Faizabad !(

!( Mazar-e Sharif

35° 1a: Calligonum – Stipagrostis 35° Kabul sand deserts Herat !( !( 1b: Haloxylon salicornicum gravel deserts 1c: Other deserts and semi-deserts rich in chenopods 1d: Ephemeral semi-desert of loess soils 1e: Shrubby Amygdalus semi-deserts 2: Subtropical Zizyphus – Acacia scrub in E-Afghn. 3a: Pistacia vera woodlands 3b: Pistacia atlantica woodlands !( Qandahar 3c: Amygdalus woodlands 3d: Juniperus excelsa/semiglobosa woodlands !( Zaranj 4a: Olea-Reptonia woodlands in E-Afghanistan 4b: Sclerophyllous and lauriphyllous oak forests in E-Afghanistan 30° 5: Coniferous forests and woodlands in E-Afghanistan 30° 6: Subalpine Juniperus- and Rhododendron scrub (Krummholz) 0100 200 7a: Subalpine thorn-cushion shrub-lands; 7b: Alpine semi-deserts and meadows 8: Nival belt, glaciers Kilometres 9a: Riverine vegetation, lakes and swamps 9b: Saline vegetation, salt flats, sabkhas

60° 65° 70° 75°

Fig. 2: Natural Vegetation of Afghanistan (Freitag 1971, Breckle 1973 etc.)

Salvia pterocalyx, Lamiaceae (Photo: Catherine Schloeder, 2009 Halarchon vesiculosum , Chenopodiaceae (Photo: S.-W. Breckle, 1968) Ixiolirion tataricum (Tatar-Lily) (Photo: Frank Joisten, may 2012)

Fig. 3: Number of species in large families Fig. 4: Number of genera in large families Fig. 5: Number of species in large genera 750 140 320 References: 700 300 130 ALAM, M. (2011): Trees and shrubs of Afghanistan. Rossolis/Lausanne 530pp. 650 280 120 600 260 BRECKLE,S.-W.,&RAFIQPOOR, M.D. (2010) (eds.: BRECKLE, S.-W., Dittmann, A. & RAFIQPOOR, M.D.): Field Guide 110 550 240 Afghanistan – Flora and Vegetation. Scientia Bonnensis, Bonn, Manama, New York, Floríanópolis. 864 pp. 100 500 220 Flora of China: Online data bank (http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/). 450 90 200 400 80 180 International Plant Names Index [IPNI] (2008): Online taxonomic data bank http://www.ipni.org).

350 70 160 NASIR,E.&ALI, S.I. (eds.) (1970ff): Flora of Pakistan. National Herbarium, NARC, Islamabad and Department of 300 140 60 Number of species Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi. Number of species

250 Number of genera 120 50 OWAK OBIS 200 100 N ,A.,N , M. et al. (2008-2011): Atlas of Vascular Plants of Tajikistan, Part 1–3 Opole. 40 150 80 Plant List: Online taxonomic data bank (www.theplantlist.org; acc. nov.2011-may 2012). 100 30 60 PODLECH, D. (2012): Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Afghanistan. (www.sysbot.biologie.unimuenchen.de/ 20 50 40 de/personen/podlech/flowering_plants_afghanistan.pdf). 0 10 20 0 RECHINGER, K.H., RECHINGER, W. (eds.) (1963–2013ff): Flora Iranica, No 1–179ff. Akad. Druck– und Verlags- 0 Iris Poaceae Vicia Rosa Apiaceae Iridaceae anstalt/Graz. Rosaceae Fabaceae Carex Salvia Silene Tulipa Draba Ferula Allium Salicaceae Rubiaceae Gagea Juncus Lamiaceae Malvaceae Galium Asteraceae Nepeta Solanaceae Atriplex Cyperaceae Cuscuta Cyperus Arnebia Primulaceae Erigeron Cousinia Geraniaceae Brassicaceae Echinops Dianthus Trifolium Corydalis Lepidium Eremurus Oxytropis Boraginaceae Artemisia Potentilla Erysimum Gentianaceae Polygonaceae Tamaricaceae Medicago Trigonella Liliaceae Liliaceae s.str. Saussurea Euphorbia Malcolmia Astragalus Scorzonera Taraxacum Onobrychis Ranunculaceae Delphinium Hedysarum Amaryllidaceae Ranunculus Zygophyllaceae Phlomoides Tropicos/Flora of Pakistan (http://www.tropicos.org/Project/Pakistan). Orobanchaceae Convolvulus Plumbaginaceae Caryophyllaceae Chenopodiaceae Scrophulariaceae Papaveraceae s.l. Psychrogeton Chenopodium Acantholimon Xanthorrhoeaceae Acanthophyllum Euphorbiaceae str. s Conclusions: How many different plant species do we find in Afghanistan? We know now, that the number of formerly recorded 3,500 plant species Take-home Message: is too low. As a hotspot of biodiversity in south-west Asia, Afghanistan has a considerably higher number of vascular plant species. Among its Wenn Sie Bilder/Dias afghanischer Pflanzen haben, bitte melden Sie sich: many attributes, the checklist enables us to state, with some confidence, that the total number of Afghan vascular plant species is almost 5,000; [email protected] oder [email protected]. species endemism rate is c. 24%. Checklists are very helpful in many aspects. The enormous data files are a basic tool for agriculture, forestry, Wenn Sie in den kommenden Wochen/Monaten nach Afghanistan fahren, aktivieren nature conservation, ecological validation, indicating the geographical background of the flora, the internal, external and altitudinal distribution, Sie Ihre Digitalkamera für Pflanzen-Portraits: Bäume, Sträucher, Blumen, Unkräuter, with better precise quantitative data for development projects, as well as for education and teaching, and useful for evaluation of digital Wildkräuter, Nutzpflanzen, Gemüse, Früchte, Gebirgspflanzen, Wasserpflanzen, photographic archives for future research, hopefully in future for mountaineering and eco-tourism projects. Straßenbäume, Ornamentalpflanzen, Landschaften usw.