Old cemetereies of city of Kherson as refuge of steppe flora

Authors

  • N. O. SKOBEL
  • І.І. MOYSIYENKO

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32999/ksu1990-553X/2022-18-1-3

Keywords:

Kherson, steppe, cultural heritage sites, vascular plants, flora, sozophytes, in-situ.

Abstract

The flora of vascular plants of old cemeteries in the city of Kherson (in southern Ukraine) includes 227 species belonging to 160 genera, 57 families, 3 classes and 2 divisions. The research was conducted during 2020–2021. In total, 3 cemeteries were studied: Kherson Memorial Cemetery (10.4509 ha), Jewish Cemetery (2.5783 ha) and Zabalkivskyi Cemetery (9.486 ha). Species richness varies from 172 to 202 (with an average of 190 species) in the different cemeteries. Leading in the number of species are the families Asteraceae (33 species), Poaceae (25), Fabaceae (15), Rosaceae (13), Chenopodiaceae (11), Brassicaceae (9), Boraginaceae (8), Caryophyllaceae (6), Lamiaceae (6), Veronicaceae (6). The systematic structure of the flora is typical for steppe flora, which are under significant anthropogenic pressure. The spectrum of life forms is dominated by therophytes (45.2 %). Most therophytes are alien plants, which indicates that this structure of the flora is the result of significant anthropogenic transformation. On the other hand, hemicryptophytes, which dominate in natural steppe flora, take second place (23.2 %) in the investigated cemeteries. Compared to rural cemeteries, the cemeteries of the city of Kherson are characterized by a higher level of sinatropization of flora. Almost half of the flora species are alien (49 %). Despite the high anthropogenic pressure of the urban environment, the flora of the old cemeteries in Kherson is still dominated by aboriginal plants (51 %). Also, there are many non-synatropic plant species (17.1 %), and several rare plant species have survived. In total, seven protected species of vascular plants (3.1 %) were found in the old cemeteries. Among them are Stipa capillata, included in the Red Book of Ukraine, and Convallaria majalis, Ephedra distachya, Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus robur, Muscari neglectum, Vinca herbacea, which are in the Red List of Kherson region. Given the environmental value of old cemeteries, it is necessary to optimize their use.

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Published

2021-12-22

How to Cite

SKOBEL, N. O., & MOYSIYENKO І. (2021). Old cemetereies of city of Kherson as refuge of steppe flora. CHORNOMORSKI BOTANICAL JOURNAL, 18(1), 52–70. https://doi.org/10.32999/ksu1990-553X/2022-18-1-3