Shrubs

Shrublands of Pistacia mutica are located on the northern slopes of the Albourz mountains at altitudes between 1 600 and 1 800 m. Sporadic trees of Rhus coriaria and Celtis australis grow with them.

On the north-eastern boarder of Iran, north of Meshed, the edible pistachio nut, Pistacia vera, grows. Due to the harsh climate it looks like tall undergrowth.

Below the Quercus spp. forests, tall bushes of Amygdales scoporia and Acer cinerascens grow on the southern slopes of the Zagros. Associated species are Daphne angustifolia, Ebenus stellata, Amygdalus lycioides, Crataegus heterophylla, Phlomis orientalis, Rhamnus spatulifolia, Cotoneaster nummularifolia, and Carrigia orientalis.They are subjected to overgrazing from the point of view of soil protection.

A degraded and overgrazed vegetation of thorny bushes of Amygdalis reuteri, Berberis integrimma and Cratagus spp. also grows on the southern slopes of the Zagros and the southern slopes of the Albourz. The plants of this association that have been able to survive are those left by the animals in addition to a few bushes growing on steep, inaccessible rocks.

There are many Tamarix articulata associations found in the southeast on the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The area is almost desert and slightly salty. About 36 species of Tamarix grow in Iran. Most of them are bushes although a few, such as Tamarix articulata and Tamarix stricta, are tall and of economic importance.

Tamarix macrocarpa and Tamarix tetrandra, for example, are the dominant shrubs in the bushy vegetation close to Lake Ghom. The lower vegetation consists of the herbaceous species Psilliostachys letpostachya, P. spicata and Aeluropus littoralis.

In the valleys with slightly salty soils, Tamarix spp. grow with Aeluropus littoralis, Suaeda spp., Vitex agnus castus, Lycium barbarum and Nitraria scuba.

In the Irano-Toranian region, Haloxylon spp. grow mostly on sand. The vegetation is made up of bushy and very scattered small trees. The following species can be found: Haloxylon ammodendron, H. aphyllum, H. persicum and Calligonum commosum. The haloxylons are very important for stabilization of sand dunes and soil protection.

The Ziziphus spina-christi shrublands are also called the vegetation of the Khalidjian region. This type of shrubland stretches from Qassre-Shirin toward Khuzistan and the coast of the Persian Gulf up to Bandar Abbas in the North. The climate of this area is subtropical. These shrublands are sometimes invaded by Prosopis stephaniana.

Other species include Imperata cylindrica, Cordia mixa, Fortuynis aucheri, Salvadora persica, Ranunculus asiaticus, Populus euphratica, Nerium odorum, Ebenus stellata, Convolvulus leicalycinos, Ochradenus baccata and Physorynchus brachuicus.

last updated: Tuesday, January 13, 2004