Included here is the Anatolian Plateau east of the ‘Anatolian Diagonal’, the Armenian Highlands, most of Iran and part of Afghanistan.

Armeno-Iranian Artemisia Desert

These highly xerophytic, sparse formations are mainly dominated by either Artemisia fragans or A. herba-alba and represent one of the most characteristic vegetation types of the Irano-Turanian Region covering large areas of the Iranian Central Plateau and the highlands of the Armeno-Azerbaijan zone. The flora is fairly rich and includes many endemic or near endemic taxa like Acantholimon stocksii (Plumbaginaceae), Convolvulus leptocladus (Convolvulaceae), Euphorbia connata (Euphorbiaceae), Heliotropium crassifolium (Boraginaceae), Phlomis aucheri (Lamiaceae) and Salvia hypochionaea (Lamiaceae). In northern Afghanistan and in northeastern Iran these Artemisia communities intergrade with giant umbellifera formations comprising species like Ferula foetida and the endemic Ferula badrakema (Apiaceae), and areas characterized by the endemic Pteropyrum aucheri (Polygonaceae).

References

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