Vascular Plants of the Valleys of the Kema and Unzha Rivers (Vologda Region, Russia)

Abstract

The work is devoted to the analysis of the flora of vascular plants in the valleys of the Kema and Unzha Rivers (the Volga basin), as one of the areas of the Vologda Region lacking botanical studies. In July 2005, the area from Borok of Nikolskiy District to Kunozh of Babushkinskiy District, with a total length of about 130 km, was surveyed using the route-key method. On this area, in the valley-river complexes, 454 species of higher vascular plants belonging to 255 genera and 84 families were recorded, including 371 species in the Kema River valley and 388 species in the Unzha River valley. The article contains an annotated list of flora; for rare and attention-grabbing species, complete label data are provided. The studied flora has a typical boreal character with significant participation of southern (nemoral, nemoral-boreal) and Siberian species. In the valleys of these rivers, a total of 70 species included in the second edition of the Red Data Book of Vologda Region have been identified. These species (listed according to their conservation status) were as follows: Endangered (EN): Epipogium aphyllum; Vulnerable (VU): Carex atherodes, Cinna latifolia; Near Threatened (NT): Brachypodium pinnatum, Cacalia hastata, Cenolophium denudatum, Chimaphila umbellata, Cotoneaster melanocarpus, Dactylorhiza baltica, Diplazium sibiricum, Glyceria lithuanica, Lathyrus pisiformis, Pyrola chlorantha, Stellaria hebecalyx, Viola collina, V. hirta; Least Concern (LC): Abies sibirica, Carex rhizina, Conioselinum tataricum, Dactylorhiza traunsteineri s.str., Delphinium elatum s.str., Goodyera repens, Huperzia selago, Ligularia sibirica, Malaxis monophyllos, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Trisetum sibiricum, Ulmus glabra, U. laevis; Data Deficient (DD): Campanula cervicaria, Rubus caesius, and also 39 species of “biological control” category. The paper presents data on the flora of “Gladkiy Bor” and “Unzhenskiy Les” landscape reserves. Within the boundaries of these specially protected natural areas, populations of 53 species officially recognised as rare species in the Region were identified (10 protected species and 15 species of biological control in “Gladkiy Bor” and 19 and 24, respectively, in “Unzhenskiy Les” landscape reserve).