THE FLORA OF MONGOLIA

Mongolia is the region of convergence and co-existence of flora which originates both from the Great Siberian Taiga and from the Central Asian Steppe and Desert.

975 species of flowering plant out of the total 3000 registered species are used for traditional medicine of Mongolia. Most of the plants are wild shrubs and bushes adapted to the extreme weather conditions. The flowers have a wide range of colors and shapes. However most of the flowers are smaller in size because of the small amounts of precipitation of rain in this country.

There are about 150 endemic vascular and lower plants such as Stipa mongolorum, Adonis mongolico, Betula mongolica, Atraphaxis bracteata, Calligonum gobicum, Nanophyton mongolicum, Gymnocarpus przewalskii, Silene mongolica, Potaninia mongolica, Chesney mongolica, Astragalus gobicus, Oxytropis ulzii-chutagii and Artemisia gobica. The Khangai, Gobi-Altai and Mongolian Altai regions have the most endemic species.

Leontopodium, commonly known as Edelweiss is a native plant of the Asian steppes growing at altitudes of 1700 m above the sea level. The plant is well adapted to climatic extremes due to its deep fibrous routes and the felt like covering of its leaves which protect it from drought, strong winds, and potentially damaging sun. The flower with white petals arranged in star like shape has medicinal value.

The most commonly found flower plant in Mongolia is Caryopteris, small shrubs with white or blue flowers that grow up to 4 meters. The aromatic leaves grow opposite to each other and when the flower are blue they are often known by the name Blue Mist. These plants are used for making perfumes.