XVI International Botanical Congess

The biodiversity of the Sevan Basin is extremely rich and interesting. It covers only 1/6 part of Armenia, but the flora contains 1507 species of higher flowering plants, 494 genus from 102 families. It constitutes 25% species of Caucasian and 47% of Armenian flora. In mountainous surrounding of the lake it's possible to distinguish 8 types of vegetation, according to vertical distribution. The lowest positions are occupied with psammophyl deserts and semideserts vegetation, that are formed on 20 000ha. Of sandy soils cleared out from the lake Sevan. The highest is occupied by alpine carpets". In between subalpine meadows, meadows-steppes, steppes, bogs, forests and spare forests are situated. Sevan Basin contains 165 rare and endangered species of plants. It includes 9 disappearing, 40 endangered, 60 rare, 56 reducing and 60 species included in the Red Book of Armenia.