Rare plants of the Voronezh region in ecosystems of Khrenovsky pine forest

Abstract

To evaluate the environmental significance of Khrenovsky Bor isolated pine forest, we identified rare plant species in this area. We have been conducting floristic surveys for 10 years using route method. Herbarium specimens, literary and archival data were also analyzed. This allowed us to identify 850 species pertaining to 718 genera and 130 families in the forest area. The flora of Khrenovsky pine forest encompasses 5 plant species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and 46 species in the Red Data Book of the Voronezh region. It accounts for 19.4% of all rare vascular plant species in the region. Most of the rare species are representatives of boreal, boreal-nemoral, nemoral, boreal-nemoral-forest-steppe latitude groups. This indicates high importance of the pine forest in conservation of rare species, and forest species make up the greater portion of them. One of the important results was the discovery of Elatine alsinastrum L. in the forest area. A proposal has been put forward to include this species in the rare taxa cadastre of the Voronezh Region and regional Red Data Book. We consider the possibility of giving the nature protection status to Khrenovsky Bor pine forest as a unique forest area, where rare plant species are preserved, and for some of them this forest area is the only habitat in the region.