New and rare species for the floras of the Caspian region and Southwest Asia

This article provides information about the discovery of new and rare plant species in the Caspian region and Southwest Asia. In total, the article presents new findings for 19 species of vascular plants from 5 countries, registered during field research, as well as during the revision of herbarium materials. For the first time, Lycium ruthenicum is reported for the flora of Armenia. A new record for the flora of Russia is Valeriana plagiostephana collected from the territory of Dagestan, and Gelasia tuberosa is for the first time reported for the flora of Turkmenistan. The remaining 16 findings, while not new to the countries, significantly expand the understanding of the distribution of these species. Thus, for the flora of Armenia, new locations of some rare and alien species are given that complement existing information (Foeniculum vulgare, Tripidium ravennae, Eleusine indica, Bothriochloa bladhii, Cleistogenes serotina, Adiantum capillus-veneris, Dianthus transcaucasicus). In Iran, three species (Chaerophyllum aureum, Heliotropium circinatum, and Bryonia monoica) are reported for the first time for Kurdistan (Western Iran) and one species (Haplophyllum canaliculatum) for Sistan and Baluchistan (Southeastern Iran). For the first time, Crassula vaillantii and Marsilea strigosa are indicated for the Atyrau Region of Kazakhstan. Bupleurum tenuissimum is given for the first time for the flora of Dagestan (Russian Federation). In Turkmenistan, a new location of the rare species Jurinea transhyrcanica was discovered for the first time in the western part of the Central Karakum, and a population of Crataegus germanica, which was considered extinct, was discovered in the South-Western Kopet Dag. For each species information on location, general distribution, occupied habitats and population status is provided.