Meadows

Meadows occur in plains, ravine slopes, terraces and the margins of forest outliers in the steppe zone.

Locations of wetland communities composed of reed, club rush and reed- mace are considered to be part of meadow vegetation.

Well-developed subalpine and alpine meadows are also frequently met in the Altai mountains.

The subalpine belt is the transitional zone from forests to alpine meadows and mountain tundra.

The most characteristic plants of the alpine meadows are sedge and grasses. Alpine meadows comprise also columbines, fire-plants, hedysarums, and buttercups

that make a colorful picture. In higher elevation the alpine vegetation is sometimes called “small-grass alpine meadow” and these lawns are less colorful, but comprise a few beautiful plants like Viol altaica, Caliianthemum angustifolium, Schultzia crrnita, Lagotis integrifolia, Pedicularis oederii, and Ranunculus aitaicus.

Swamps

The formation of swamps both on plains as well as in the mountains are mainly connected with the activity of ancient glaciers. Swamps are spread in the hol­lows of ancient runoffs of glacier waters on the plain and in large inter-mountain de­pressions. Many lakes have turned into dry land through the stage of swamps.

O

The Largest Plant Families of the Altai Region

f course, the vegetation of the Altai mountains comprises also vegetation types of disturbed lands that are characterized by weed species.

Families	Number of species	% of the total number of species
Asteraceae	353	13.6
Poaceae	239	9.3
Fabaceae	183	7.1
Rosaceae	143	5.5
Cyperaceae	143	5.5
Brassicaceae	138	5.3
Ranunculaceae	111	4.3
Caryophyllaceae	102	4.0 '•
Scrophulariaceae	86	3.3
Chenopodiaceae	79	3.1
Total	1576	61.1

Table 1

<*

Families	Number of species	% to the total number of species
Carex	111	4.3
Astragalus	62	2-4
Artemisia	51	2.0
PotentiMa	50	1.9
Oxytropis	46	1.8
Salix	41	1.6
Allium	34	1.3
Achillea	31	1.2
Poa	29	1.1
Saussurea	28	1.1
Ranunculus	28	1.1
Total	511	19.8

Table 2