Flora of Lawns in the City of Ufa

Abstract

The paper presents a study in the flora of lawns in Ufa. The lawn flora is represented by 192 species belonging to 31 families. Based on coenotic and ecological characteristics, four ecological coenotic groups of species were singled out that were described in the lawn designated areas. The ecological coenotic groups were analysed for life form spectra, hemeroby, species activity. Among the plant communities of typical low-trampled and well-maintained urban lawns (the ecological coenotic group of Festuca pratensis) Poaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Apiaceae families were the leading ones, where hemicryptophytes and oligo-meso-αeuhemerobes dominated. The lawns subjected to significant anthropogenic impact (trampling, salinization) (the ecological coenotic group of Taraxacum officinale) had a large number of species that belonged to the «ruderal» Polygonaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae families, where hemicryptophytes and meso-euhemerobes dominated. Ruderal species of Asteraceae, Poaceae, Amaranthaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Polygonaceae families prevailed, with a large share of ruderal and semi-ruderal annual and biennial plants, β-eupolyhemerobes, in the lawn designated areas where gramineous plant community did not develop after soil disturbance (the ecological coenotic group of Chenopodium album). Ruderal species of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Polygonaceae families with a large portion of ruderal annual and biennial β-eupolyhemerobes also dominated in humid and waterlogged lawn areas. The ecological ecoenotic groups of Taraxacum officinale, Chenopodium album and Bidens tripartita had a large number of neophyte species. The lawn areas with the ecological coenotic groups of Taraxacum officinale, Chenopodium album and Bidens tripartite were found as most colonized with ruderal plants. A number of measures are required to build dense grass covering: reconstruction and heavy maintenance of lawns combined with sowing quality lawn grass mixtures, regular mowing practices to reduce the number of ruderal hemytherophytes and therophytes, timely plant nutrition and watering.