Flora of Kılıçkaya Village ( Yusufeli-Artvin , Turkey ) Kılıçkaya ( Yusufeli / Artvin , Türkiye ) ’ nın florası

Eser Bilgisi / Article Info Araştırma makalesi / Research article DOI: 10.17474/artvinofd.762897 Sorumlu yazar / Corresponding author Özgür EMİNAĞAOĞLU e-mail: oeminagaoglu@artvin.edu.tr Geliş tarihi / Received 02.07.2020 Düzeltme tarihi / Received in revised form 14.04.2021 Kabul Tarihi / Accepted 07.05.2021 Elektronik erişim / Online available 12.05.2021

The goals of this research were to determine the flora of the Kılıçkaya, determine rare and endemic plant species and evaluate the significance of this area for nature conservation.  Climatological data of the study area were obtained from Yusufeli meteorological station (DMİ 2019). According to this data, the mostrainy month is October and average precipitation is 275.4 mm and average temperature is 14.13 °C in the area (Table 1). Winter is the rainiest season, while summer is the driest season due to highest temperature in the region (Figure 3).  (Walter 1956).

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Approximately 2000 plant specimens were collected from 25 localities in different vegetation periods between 2014-2015 (Table 1). About five plant specimens belong to Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta (Magnoliophyta) sections were taken from each plant. After identifications, all specimens were stored in the Artvin Coruh University Herbarium (ARTH).
In order to determine the endemic and rare plants, floristic studies were carried out in 2014 and 2015. All aerial (e.g., fruit, flower, leaf, fond) and subterranean plant parts (e.g., rhizome, tuber, bulb, corm) required for recognition and diagnosis were collected carefully.
Location, growing habitat elevation and collection date of plant samples were recorded. Plant specimens from the study area were dried according to the standard herbarium techniques. Identification of samples were performed with the Flora of Turkey and the East Agean Islands (Davis 1965-1982, Davis et al. 1988, Güner et al. 2012 and Flora USSR (Komarov 1934-78), Flora Kavkaza (Grossheim 1939(Grossheim -1967, Akkemik (2018), Eminağaoğlu (2012Eminağaoğlu ( , 2015 and diagnosed with a binocular stereo zoom microscope, then affixed on herbarium sheets and labelled. Other related literature (Eminağaoğlu 2002, Eminağaoğlu and Anşin 2002, 2003, 2004, Eminağaoğlu and Akpulat 2010, 2018 concerning the rare and endemic plant species of Artvin were determined. The validity of endemic plant names was checked mainly from The Plant List Version 1.1 (2020), IPNI (2020) and Hassler (2020). Risk categories were checked using IUCN (2020) and Red List of The Endemic Plants of The Caucasus (Ekim et al. 2014). The IUCN abbreviations (EN: Endangered, LC: Least concern, NE: Not Evaluated, NT: Near threat, VU:Vulnerable) is given for endemic and rare species in the text.

RESULTS
Consequently, a total of 511 taxa belong to, 334 genera from 89 families were determined in the study area. 18 of them belonging to Pteridophyta and the others 492 plant species were Magnoliophyta. Pinophytina is consist of 7 taxa and Magnoliophytina is 485 taxa ( Table 2). Floristic list of this study is given Appendix 1. IUCN threat categories of endemic and nonendemic plant species were evaluated (Ekim et al. 2014, IUCN 2020). The total endemism ratio is 5.47%, with 28 taxa (Table 3).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
As a result of this study, the floristic structure, endemic and rare species of Kılıçkaya region (Yusufeli, Artvin) were determined. Totally, 511 plant taxa were identified. Flora of Turkey is represented by 4.2% in this study. In Turkey, 3649 taxa are endemic and the rate of endemism is 31.82% (Güner et al. 2012). About 300 taxa in the Euro-Siberian phytogeographic region (Ekim et al. 2000) and 220 taxa are endemic for the Eastern Black Sea Region and the rate of endemism is 9.8% (Anşin 1982). The 28 taxa determined in the study area are endemic and the rate of endemism is 5.47%.
In Table 7, the percentages and taxa numbers of the five families with the most species were given. The first five families with the most taxa in family ranking are Poaceae 12.13 % (62 taxa), Asteraceae 11.15% (57 taxa), Rosaceae 5.87 % (30 taxa), Fabaceae 5.47% (28 taxa) and Lamiaceae 5.1% (26 taxa). It has given close results for 5 families in the studies conducted in the eastern Black Sea region (Anşin 1979, Ocakverdi 2001, Eminağaoğlu and Anşin 2003, Eminağaoğlu et al. 2004, 2008, 2015, Eminağaoğlu et al. 2018. Because of similar habitats, studies on the nearer place Karadağ and Barhal show the most similar results with our study Aksu 2015, Eminağaoğlu et al. 2018). The endemizm ratio and phytogeographical distribution of taxa were given in Table 8. In our study, this distribution of taxa is as follows: 161 taxa (31.2%) Euro-Siberian, 17 taxa (3%) Mediterranean, 81 taxa (15.8%) Irano-Turanian and 264 taxa (51%) are the cosmopolitan and/or their phytogeographical regions are unknown (Table 8). In all floristic studies previously conducted in Artvin and nearer area, the Euro-Siberian elements are in the first place and the ratio in all studies is found to be between 22.3 −48.9 % (Anşin 1979, Ocakverdi 2001, Eminağaoğlu and Anşin, 2003, Eminağaoğlu and Aksu 2015c, Eminağaoğlu et al. 2008, Eminağaoğlu et al. 2004) ( Table  8).
The main reason for the low endemism ratio observed in this study is the climatic and environmental similarities between Caucasian flora and the study area. Similar results were obtained from other floristic studies in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey as seen Table 8 (Anşin, 1979, Eminağaoğlu and Anşin 2003, 2004.  Kılıçkaya is a region known for its plant richness and but different threat factors effect them in the area, road construction, investment projects, dam construction and mining. Subalpine and alpine meadows in the area are used as a barracks and plateaus by the local people.
Continuing the tradition of plateauing, and there is an excessive grazing of animals. This irregular and overgrazing causes the natural balance to deteriorate and the pasture areas to lose their value in this balance. This plant area needs to be under control and to be monitored.