The Taxonomic Analysis of the Astragalus Species (Fabaceae Lind l.) in Flora of Azerbaijan
Dashgin Ganbarov1* , Yegane Aslanova2 , Safura Babayeva3 ,
Habib Huseynov3 , Namiq Abbasov3
Abstract. The article provides information on the taxonomic composition of species belonging to the genus Astragalus (Fabaceae Lindl.) in the flora of Azerbaijan. Based on literature data and our own field studies, for the first time, 143 species belonging to the subgenera Astragalus and Cercidothrix have been identified in the flora of Azerbaijan. The conducted research has shown that the subgenus Astragalus is represented by 80 species within 27 sections, while the subgenus Cercidothrix comprises 63 species within 12 sections. Additionally, for the first time, the distribution of species belonging to the subgenera Astragalus and Cercidothrix across sections has been investigated. It has been determined that the sections Incani – 17 species, Onobrychoidei – 10, Malacothrix – 10, Caprini – 9, Rhacophorus – 8, Dissitiflori – 6, Ornithopodium – 5, Hypoglottidei – 5, Adiaspastus – 5, Hololeuce – 4, Alopecuroidei – 4, and Aegacantha – 4 species, while several other sections are represented by 1–3 species. Based on the analysis of botanical-geographical regions, it has been established that 84 species of the genus Astragalus are distributed in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, 56 species in the Greater Caucasus, 45 in the Lesser Caucasus, 31 in the Lankaran region, and 15 in the Kura-Araz lowland. Furthermore, characteristic species for each botanical-geographical region are also indicated in the article.
Keywords: taxonomic analysis, subgenus, Astragalus, Cercidothrix, characteristic species