flora Karkaraly

759 species belonging to 352 genera and 85 families were identified in the flora of the Karkaraly Mountains. The flora of the Karkarala Mountains is based on flowering plants (737 species, or 97.1% of the total number of species), horsetails, ferns and gymnosperms are slightly represented (0.8, 1.7 and 0.3%, respectively). The total number of dicotyledons was 587 species, or 77.3% of the total number of species; monocotyledons — 150 species, or 19.7%. The dominant families are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Cyperaceae, Apiaceae and Lamiaceae; the leading genera are Artemisia, Carex, Potentilla, Astragalus, Allium, Veronica, Polygonum, Silene, Poa, Salix. Mesophytes, xerophytes and mesoxerophytes predominate in the ecological spectrum; herbaceous perennial plants are among the life forms. The largest types of habitats are Palearctic, Holarctic and Eurasian. Among the economically valuable species, medicinal, fodder and essential oil plants can be noted. 11 endemes were noted in the study area: Iris haematophylla, Atriplex crassifolia C.A.Mey, Silene karkaralensis A.Dmitr.et M.Pop., Berberis karkaralensis Kornilova et Potap., Papaver tenellum Tolm., Euphorbia andrachnoides Schrenk, Hyssopus macranthus Boriss., Thymus lavrenkoanus Klok., Artemisia kasakorum (Krasch.) Pavl., Serratula kirgisorum Iljin, Phalacrachena calva (Ledeb.) Iljin.

1. Plantae
   rank: kingdom

The Karkaraly Mountains (or Karkaraly mountain forest) is located in the east of Saryarka, on the territory of the Karkaraly district of the Karaganda region and is a shallow relief with isolated arrays of low mountains, extending from north—northwest to southeast for 30-35 km, 20-25 km wide. The mountains are among the highest in Central Kazakhstan and consist of separate ridge mountains (Zhirensakal, Akterek, Myrzashoky, Karkaraly, Buguly, Koktyube, Shankoz). The highest peak is Komsomolsky with a height of 1403 m above sea level, which is part of the southern Zhirensakal ridge. South-east of this ridge are the mountains of the Akte-rivers with a height of 1230 m above sea level and Myrzashoky with a height of 1170 m above sea level. To the north are located: the jagged ridge of Karkaraly with a height of up to 1115 m above sea level (which gave the name to the entire mountain and forest area), the ridge of Bugula (1323 m above sea level) and the ridge of Shankoz with a height of up to 1360 m above sea level. In the west is the seven-top Koktyube (1254 m above sea level). The Karkaraly mountain forest is divided by wide intermountain valleys of Kendara, Kurozek, Karatoka and others, rich in fresh groundwater.