The flora of Altındag (Nizip/Gaziantep)

Plant Diversity is one of the primary components of natural ecosystems and plays a critical role in maintaining the functionality and health of ecosystems. The examination of regional floras is an important research area that helps us understand the distribution and diversity of region-specific plant species. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying the flora of Altındağ (Nizip/Gaziantep). Fieldwork conducted between 2021 and 2023 resulted in the collection of 611 plant samples. The evaluation of the collected plant samples revealed a total of 396 taxa, including 319 species, 49 subspecies, and 28 varieties, belonging to 54 families and 236 genera. In terms of the number of taxa, the top five major families found in the research area are as follows: Fabaceae with 51 taxa (12.88%), Asteraceae with 46 taxa (11.62%), Lamiaceae with 30 taxa (7.58%), and Apiaceae with 26 taxa (6.57%), Poaceae with 21 taxa (5.30%). Similarly, the top five major genera are Convolvulus with 8 taxa (2.02%), Trifolium with 8 taxa (2.02%), Euphorbia with 7 taxa (1.77%), Vicia with 7 taxa (1.77%), and Hypericum with 7 taxa (1.77%). A total of 11 (3%) endemic taxa were identified in the research area. The distribution of taxa according to phytogeographic regions is as follows: 96 taxa belong to the Iran-Turan element (24%), 67 belong to the Mediterranean element (17%), 4 belong to the Euro-Siberian element (1%), and 228 taxa are considered as multi-regional or of unknown regional affiliation (58%). The study also assessed the Conservation Status of 13 taxa identified in the research area, resulting in the following distribution: CR (2 taxon), EN (2 taxa), CD (1 taxon), DD (1 taxon), LC (2 taxa), VU (5 taxa).