Anotovanyi spysok flory Rozhayivskogo botanichnogo zakaznyka ta pryleglykh do niogo stepovykh dilianok (Poltavska obl.) [An annotated checklist of the flora of "Rozhayivskiy" botanical reserve and adjacent steppe territories (Poltava region)]

Detail research of steppe flora and vegetation within the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine as zonal type of ecosystems is very important for clarification of the origin of steppe vegetation and for the preservation of its territories. Authors found several areas with steppe vegetation near Poltava town, one of them is situated near Abazivka and Rozhayivka villages within Poltava district of Poltava region. It is entire natural complex of meadow steppe lands situated on the left bank of Poluzirya river valley. These areas partly belongs to «Rozhayivskiy» local botanical reserve (14 hectares), which was created in 2000. Detailed study of this territory had not been conducted previously.

     Objective: to study the current state of flora of «Rozhayivskiy» local botanical reserve and adjacent steppe territories and to compile the annotated checklist of vascular plants.

     Material and methods. Materials were field expeditions organized during 2005–2015 and herbarium specimens (about 1 000 sheets) collected by authors. These specimens were inserated to the herbaria of V.G. Korolenko Poltava National Pedagogical University (PWU) and M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of NAS of Ukraine (KW). Nomenclature of family rank taxa was accorded with Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG IV) system. Proposed checklist in addition to accepted vascular plant names and major synonyms contains data about distributional frequency of species (indicated in parentheses: «ч» – common species found within all studied areas with high frequency; «сп» – sporadically distributed species on studied territory; «зр» – rare species with low frequency within all studied areas; «др» – very rare species presented by one or several plants only), availability on «Rozhayivskiy» local botanical reserve («*») or adjacent steppe territories («^х») only and information about their sozological status («!!» – included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine; «!» – included in the conservation species list within Poltava region).

     Result and discussion. Flora of «Rozhayivskiy» local botanical reserve and adjacent steppe territories contains 303 species, which belongs to 216 genera and 44 families. In systematic analysis of studied flora the major higher group is angiosperms (302 species, 99,7%; dicotyledons – 259 species, 85,5%; monocotyledons – 43, 14,2%). Leading families are Asteraceae (56 species; 18,5%), Poaceae (27; 8,9%), Fabaceae (26; 8,6%), Lamiaceae, Rosaceae (19; 6,3%), Brassicaceae (17; 5,6%), Caryophyllaceae (15; 5,0%), Veronicaceae, Apiaceae (по 13; 4,3%), Ranunculaceae (11; 3,6%); leading genera are Veronica (8 species; 2,6%), Trifolium (6; 2,0%), Campanula, Centaurea, Pilosella, Rosa, Verbascum (5; 2,0%). Based on distributional frequency features sporadically (151 species; 49,8%) and rarely (119; 39,3%) distributed species are prevalent; two other groups including very rare (26; 8,6%) and common (7; 2,3%) species are the less numerous. 20 species are protected on state and local levels: 7 are included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (Bulbocodium versicolor, Crocus reticulatus, Gladiolus tenuis, Stipa capillata, Stipa pulcherrima, Adonis vernalis, Astragalus dasyanthus) and other 13 have conservation status within Poltava region. 24 species (7,9%) were found only within «Rozhayivskiy» reserve and 60 species (19,8%) were found only on the adjacent territories.

     Conclusions. Results of research showed that studied area characterized by richness of typical and rare steppe vascular plants is very valuable and important for purpose of plant conservation. Authors proposed to extend the square of «Rozhayivskiy» botanical reserve including two found interesting areas: a fragment of the left bank slope of Poluzirya river valley (with populations of Gladiolus imbricatus, Stipa pulcherrima, Iris aphylla, Campanula persicifolia, Anemone sylvestris, Clematis integrifolia and Lathyrus pannonicus) and gullies nears pine cultures (with localities of Iris pumila, Muscari neglectum, Aster amellus and Lathyrus pannonicus).

     Keywords: flora, vascular plants, botanical reserve «Rozhayivskiy», Poltava region.