A Floristic Study of Hamun Lake Basin, South East of Iran

Lake Hamun is the largest freshwater resource in Iran with area of about 3820 km2. The present study aims to evaluate the floristic elements of the studied site. Plant samples were gathered from nature, from March to July at the growing season. Life form and chorotype of plants in Lake Hamun basin were investigated. Totally 128 plant species belonging to 80 genera and 30 families were identified. Families as Poaceae, Amaranthaceae and Fabaceae were the most dominant and frequent families. Considering biological types revealed that the most frequent forms were therophytes (61%) and hemicryptophytes (17%). Floristic elements of the area were mainly Irano- touranian mixed with Saharo-Arabian and Sindu-Sudanian types, although multi- and bi- regional elements were also frequent. As the lake has recently become an international conserved area, the complete biological and ecological study of the site is a necessity.