Shikahogh Reserve

Flora

Flora of higher plants numbers 1074 species, 432 genera and 92 families. The main species are edificators (the most typical representatives) of forest ecosystems: Georgian oak Quercus iberica, Caucasian oak Q. macranthera, Caucasian hornbeam Carpinus caucasica, field maple Acer campestre, Georgian maple A. ibericum, Balkan maple A. hyrcanum, raywood ash Fraxinus oxycarpa, Caucasian honeysuckle Lonicera caucasica, Georgian honeysuckle L. iberica, oriental honeysuckle L. orientalis, perfoliate honeysuckle L. caprifolium and other species.

Very rare relict species of ferns, southern adder’s-tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum and Crimean brake Pteridium tauricum, grow in the reserve. Eighteen species of algae are recorded. Flora of Shikahogh also includes endemic species: Zangezur pear Pyrus zangezura, Takhtajyan’s blackberry Rubus takhtadjanii, mixed tulip Tulipa confusa, Transcaucasian snowdrop Galanthus transcaucasicus, Artyushenko’s snowdrop G. artjuschenkoae, Zangezur ringflower Symphyandra zangezura, St. John’s wort Hypericum eleonorae and others.

Mild, humid and warm climate makes a number of Tertiary relicts survive here, one of which is the common yew Taxus baccata. Shikahogh is one of 3 places in the country where this species is still preserved. The biggest in the Caucasus grove of the oriental plane Platanus orientalis is located on the edge of the reserve.

Eighteen species of the reserve’s flora are listed in the Red Data Book of former USSR. They are euonymus Euonymus velutina, common yew Taxus baccata, oriental plane Platanus orientalis, pomegranate Punica granatum, date-plum Diospyros lotus, zelkova Zelkova carpinifolia, stinking juniper Juniperus foetidissima, Aleppo oak Quercus infectoria, common fig Ficus carica, pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis, orchids Cephalanthera damasonium, C. longifolia, C. rubra, Limadorma abortivuna and Ophrys oestrifera, fernleaf peony Paeonia tenuifolia, deadly nightshade Atropa belladonna and great scarlet poppy Papaver bracteatum.

The website was created in 2009 as part of the project “Biodiversity Protection and Community Development: Implementing Ecoregional Conservation Plan Targets in South Armenia”. The project was implemented by WWF Norway and WWF Armenia with the financial support of the Norwegian Government.