Plant species composition and vegetation cover of Kherlen Toono Mountain, Mongolia

The Kherlen Toono Mountain Natural Reserve has a unique natural formation that makes its flora and vegetation cover unique. This study aimed to prepare a species inventory of flora and conduct make visual assessments of the vegetation cover of Kherlen Toono Mountain. A total of 202 species belonging to 115 genera, 46 families, and 4 phyla (Equisetophyta, Polypodiophyta, Pinophyta, and Magnoliophyta) were recorded. During this study, a species [Vincetoxicum lanceolatum (Grubov) Grubov] was newly recorded in the vegetation of the Dundad Khalkh district. An endemic species, 7 subendemic species (4.9%), and 10 rare species (3.9%) were recorded in the study area, which comprised 8.9% of the total species. These species recordings indicated the unique flora of the Kherlen Toono Mountain region. Forb-khargana and needle grass-forb communities of 10 different communities were commonly recorded in the study area.