Page 254 - 7. State Of Environment Report Of Türkiye

The rate of endemism is low in gymnospermae (Gymnosperms), the most primitive group of
seed plants. In this group, there are only 5 endemic taxa at variety and subspecies level. In the
flowering plant group (Angiospermae), the rate of endemism is very high and when subgenus
taxa are added, the total number is 11,707 and 3,649 of them are endemic. The rate of endemism
is around 31.82%. In Greece, which has the highest rate of endemic species among European
countries, it has been determined that there are around 1,000 endemic plants. This shows how
rich Türkiye is in terms of endemic plants.
Some of the endemic plant species spread in Türkiye are narrowly spread while some of them
are widely spread. Narrowly spread endemics mostly survive in certain mountains and moun-
tain ranges and in certain habitats. The main mountains with high endemism rates are Amanos
Mountains, Sandras Mountain, Bey Mountains, Bolkar and Aladağlar, Uludağ, Kazdağı, Munzur
Mountains. Apart from mountain ranges, regions with high endemism rates include the Central
Taurus Mountains (Ermenek, Gülnar, Mut, Anamur), the Antitoros (Maraş, Adana, Niğde), the gy-
psiferous areas around Sivas and Çankırı, the area around Salt Lake, the high mountains around
Rize and Artvin, and the region covering the Van-Bitlis-Hakkari provinces.

The richest family in terms of endemic seed plant species is the Daisy family (Compositae), with
435 endemic species. This family is also the family with the highest number of species in Türki-
ye. The second family is Legumes (Leguminosae) with around 400 endemic species. This family
ranks second in Türkiye in terms of the total number of species it contains. The third place is
occupied by the family Mint Family (Labiatae) with approximately 310 endemic species. The
richest genus in terms of the number of endemic species is tragacanth (Astragalus) with about
250 species. This genus is followed by mullein (Verbascum) with 175 species, cornflower (Centa-
urea) with 115 endemic species and Hieracium with 66 species. However, although the number
of species is low, the endemism rate of the genera Ebenus (14 species) and Bolanthus (6 spe-
cies), all of which are endemic in Türkiye, is 100%.
Türkiye is not only rich in endemic species but also in endemic genera. The endemic genera rep-
resented by one species are Kalidiopsis and Cyathobasis (Chenopodiaceae), Phryna and Thurya
(Caryophllaceae), Physocardamum and Tchihatchewia (Cruciferae), Nephelochloa and Pseu-
dophleum (Wheatgrass-Gramineae), Dorystoechas (Labiatae), Sartoria (Leguminosae), Crenos-
ciadium, Ekimia, Postiella and Aegokeras (Umbelliferae).
Among the plant geography regions, Iran Turan region harbours the most endemic species. This
is followed by the Mediterranean and Euro-Siberian plant geography regions. Among the ge-
ographical regions, the Mediterranean region has the highest number of endemic species with
about 800 species, followed by Eastern Anatolia with 380 species and Central Anatolia with
280 species.

Although Türkiye is very rich in endemic plants, some of these species that make up this rich-
ness face serious threats. According to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN 2001), about 600 of our endemic species are categorised as “Critically endangered
CR” and 700 as “Endangered EN”. As a result of the “Türkiye Endemic Plant Project” carried out
between 1992-1997 and supported by the abolished SPO, the seeds of many endemic plants
were collected and taken under protection in the Menemen Gene Bank at the Aegean Agricul-
tural Research Institute.
The flora of Türkiye, where the rate of endemism is quite high, is also very rich in terms of me-
dicinal and aromatic plants. Some important genera and species used for medicinal and aro-

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