ИСТИНА

Desert-steppe geographical elements of flora of the Turan-Central Asian origin (genesis) with the Precaspian-Turan and South-Palearctic types of ranges on the western limit of their distribution (in the Republic of Kalmykia and in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions) are represented by 17 species (including one introduced) from 10 families. According to their life forms, they belong to succulent perennials (low shrubs, dwarf semishrubs, subshrubs and shrubs) - 5; herbaceous annual - ephemers (5), short rhizome and tuberiferous perennial plants (3), and others. The vast majority of species belong to a group of desert and desert-steppe, often halophilic, plants dedicated to saline and skeleton soil habitats. Their coenotic role is very small. Such species, as Arnebia decumbens, Lepidium pinnatifidum, Limonium suffruticosum, Neocaspia foliosa, Nitraria schoberi, Potentilla bifurca and Psathyrostachys juncea, common in the central parts of geographical range and having over there a position of dominants and edificators here are or rare, or moving to the position of assektators. Only in desert saline habitats Limonium suffruticosum and Neocaspia foliosa retain their coenotic status. Subshrub-introducent Krascheninnikovia ewersmanniana used for a phytome-lioration of degraded sandy pastures. Another 9 species (Cousinia astracanica, Diptychocarpus strictus, Iris tenuifolia, Megacarpaea magalocarpa, Nitraria komarovii, Plantago minuta, Takhta-janiantha pusilla, Tetracme quadricornis, Xylosalsola arbuscula) presented by isolated relict popu-lations on the western border of the range, subject to strict protection, and are included in the re-gional Red Data Books.