Plant & Fungal Research (2018) 1(1): 2-8 © The Institute of Botany, ANAS, Baku, Azerbaijan http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/plantfungalres.1 December 2018 The flora of Azerbaijan for the world horticulture Valida M. Ali-zade1 Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, There is a common opinion that the Caucasus is one Badamdar 40, Baku, AZ1004, Azerbaijan of the most beautiful regions in the World. Not only lo- Tatyana Shulkina2 The Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, cal patriots love the place but also visitors admire the Chicago, IL 60605 USA beauty of the region. Wonderful mountains peaks cov- ered with snow, subalpine and alpine meadows with Abstract: The Caucasus is the first and only one area unusual flowers and mountain rivers with crystal water within the former Soviet Union identified as a “bio- - all are very impressive. The nature of the Caucasus is diversity hotspots” among 25 other areas worldwide. extraordinary rich and there is a historical explanation Recent publication of the new geographical map con- of this fact. The matter is the Caucasus is one of three firmed the Caucasus as a part of Europe. Among south- regions in the Northern Hemisphere that survived since ern Caucasus countries Azerbaijan is country with the the Ice Ages of the Pleistocene. They are: 1) the Heng- most botanical riches possesing the extremely diverse duan and Qingling mountains in south-central China, native flora – a wonderful source for horticulture needs 2) the southeastern United States, and 3) the western that is provided by each of types of vegetation with Eurasia (Mediterranean), including the Caucasus [Ra- valuable ornamental plants. The list of important orna- ven, 2013, Borsch, 2014].That is why the flora of the mental plants that there are great possibilities for intro- Caucasus is very rich - it includes 6,300 species of vas- duction activity in different environmental conditions cular plants with a great deal of endemics - 2,790 spp. and short analysis their origin and distribution in Azer- [Solomon, Shulkina, Schatz, 2013]. It means that more baijan have been shown in the article.Trees, shrubs and than two thousand and a half species occur only in the herbaceous species, growing in the regions of Azerbai- Caucasus and nowhere else. Among 25 areas worldwide jan, many of which are promising for gardering are only the Caucasus within the former Soviet Union is unknown or poorly known in horticulture. It was em- area identified as a “biodiversity hotspots”. phasized the Talysh herbaceous endemics are of consid- The nature of the Caucasus has been studied in de- erable horticulture interest because of highly attractive tails, but actually each region has been treated separate- nature. Some species are extremely rare in nature and in ly not as a part of the entire region. The reason of such cultivation. It is noted, that the large collections of the an approach was political isolation of the large part of ornamental plant species are under investigation in the the Caucasus that used to belong to the Soviet Union Central Botanical Garden and arboretum in Baku. Some Empire. Recently the Komarov Botanical Institute has plants from this collection are promising ornamentals started publication Caucasian Flora Conspectus [2003] and might be successfully grown in the gardens. Azer- that covers three southern Caucasian countries (Arme- baijan is country where many species are dissappeared nia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and the north part of the re- because of ongoing perils such as habitat loss, over col- gion belonging to Russia. Absence of the general analy- lection, new roads and industrial developments, etc. sis was the reason why the Caucasus was not presented There are powerful reasons to protect this great diver- in the Flora Europaea, and in the Med-Checklist, which sity of species from increasing pressures, given its ex- inventoried the vascular plants of the Mediterranean ceptional importance for endangered wildlife. countries. Some years ago geographical position of the Caucasus was a subject for discussion – whether the Key Words: ornamental plants, wild species, origin, Caucasus is a part of Europe or it should be included in distribution, introduction, Caucasus. Asia. Recent publication of the new geographical map confirmed the Caucasus as a part of Europe [Bohn et al. 2003]. The new edition of the Flora Europaea (if any) Accepted for publication: 5 December 2018 should include the Caucasian plants. The Caucasian 1,2E-mail: [email protected]; botanists have to become active members of the World [email protected] botanical community. 2 Ali-zade and Shulkina: Flora of Azerbaijan It is especially true for Azerbaijan largely because it western and Southeastern regions, namely in Azerbai- is the botanically rich country within the Caucasus [Ko- jan. Many of these species are common with Medi- rjagin, 1950-1961]. The flora of the country is of great terranean Region and are well known in horticulture. interest for any botanists, including ethnobotanists and Thus, beech, Fagus orientalis Lipsky is the most noble gardeners. The Caucasian flora is a wonderful source of trees, can be seen all over in the gardens in differ- of new food and medicinal plants and new ornamentals. ent continents. In the Caucasus this species occupies As it is known the Caucasus was one of the major cen- 25% of all forest territory [Grossheim, 1952]. Common ters of economic plants [Vavilov, 1958-1964]. Many hornbeam, Carpinus betulus L., and some oaks such as important food plants came from the Caucasus such as chestnut-leaved oaks Quercus castaneifolia C.A. Mey. cereal species, rye, pea, Colchis flax, most of the pear and Q. macranthera Fisch. & C.A. Mey.ex Hohen. are species, oriental apple, medlar, cornelian cherry, cherry, well known as well. However, Azerbaijan forests have and plump. Some of the ancestral species and their rela- a number of unique characters and species unknown for tives still grow in the wild and they are of great interest horticulture. Thus, in southeastern region of the country for practical agricultural specialists for future hybrid- the major tree in the forest is Persian iron wood, Par- ization work. The territory of the Caucasus is the home- rotia persica (DC.) C.A. Mey. It is a member of mono- land for many well-known ornamentals. The process of typic genus of the Hamamelidaceae family, endemic to introduction of new plants into world horticulture was Talysh and northern Iran. The Talysh forest has been very slow during the last 80 years due to the political called “Hyrcanian” by botanists as an indication of their isolation. Right now these countries are open for col- age [Grossheim, 1960]. The Hyrcanian Sea filled an laboration and new opportunities exist. ancient large basin and was the predecessor of today’s The flora of Azerbaijan includes 4500 species of vas- Caspian Sea. However, the Talysh mountains were nev- cular plants, where 950 are the Caucasian and 200 are er submerged, and this is why the endemic P. persica national endemics [Ali-zade et al. 2013]. Forests occu- has persisted here since the early Tertiary period. This py 11.4% of the territory, predominately in the Greater tree forms here nearly pure stand. It is actually almost and the Lesser Caucasus and also in the Talysh Region– unknown in gardens and even the wonderful Manual it is the southeastern part of the country. Presence of the of Trees & Shrubs, completed by J. Hillier [1981] and forest tracts differ the Caucasus from East Mediterra- published in the Great Britain presents wrong descrip- nean Region, where native forests almost disappeared. tion of this species. In nature it is a deciduous tree up Plains, steppes and deserts occupy 31.8% of the terri- to 25 m tall of wide spreading habit, not “a large shrub tory, and more than a half of the country is mountains or small tree” as it is described in the Manual. The rea- and highlands. Azerbaijan demonstrates an extremely son of this mistake is probably in that it is a very slow diverse native flora - a wonderful source for horticul- growing plant that creates a wrong impression of its tural needs. Each of these types of vegetation can pro- size. This tree is not only a slow growing but also an vide horticulture with valuable ornamental plants. A extremely long living plant. There are many trees in number of Azerbaijan species are already among well- Talysh forest which are hundreds of years old. Large known garden plants. Silk tree, Albizia julibrissin Du- dark green leathery leaves turn crimson with lilac tint razz., might be a good example. This wonderful grace- in autumn. Leaves do not fall down until mid of winter ful tree can be seen in many gardens in Europe and in and beautify the forest with its color for a long autumn the United States. Successful in gardens are Gladiolus and a part of winter. Plant can be used as a solitary tree atroviolaceus Boiss. and Primula juliae Kusn. – аlso and for hedging purposes. native to Azerbaijan. However, many species that are Talysh being a unique floristic region [Gadjiev et al, promising for gardening are unknown or poorly known 1979] has a floral composition that differs from that in in horticulture. Therefore, the flora should be carefully neighboring regions in Azerbaijan and Iran especially in studied and ornamentals can be found in different type a number of relicts of the Tertiary period. It is not only of vegetation. P. persica but also silk tree (Persian pink siris), Albizia Gardeners usually pay much attention to woody julibrissin Durazz., Zelkova hyrcana Grossh. & Jarm., plants. Forests in Azerbaijan are rich. According to that in Western publications sometimes included in Zel- S.