Vascular Flora of the Arykbalyk Branch of Kokshetau National Natural Park, Kazakhstan: An Annotated Checklist and Ecological Characterization

Local floristic inventories provide baseline data for biodiversity monitoring and conservation in protected areas. This study presents an annotated checklist of vascular plants in the Arykbalyk Branch of Kokshetau State National Natural Park, Kazakhstan, and characterizes their taxonomic composition, life forms, ecological affinities, and practical significance. Route-based surveys conducted in 2025–2026 covered the principal habitats of four forestry units. Floristic relationships were assessed using Jaccard dissimilarities, average-linkage hierarchical clustering, and species intersections. The inventory documented 184 vascular plant species belonging to 135 genera, 46 families, and 24 orders at surveyed localities within the branch. These included 172 native species, 11 alien species (6.0%), and one species recorded only as planted. General analyses were restricted to the native component. Asteraceae was the most species-rich native family, comprising 31 species (18.0%). Perennials accounted for 84.9% of native species, and hemicryptophytes represented 61.0%. Mesophytes and xeromesophytes together comprised 64.5% of the native component. Medicinal plants constituted the largest documented practical-use category, with 93 native species (54.1%). Seven species listed in the national Red Data Book were recorded, along with an additional locality of Hemipilia cucullata. Fifty-two native species occurred in all four forestry-unit lists. Leikovskoye and Nizhne-Burlukskoye showed the greatest floristic similarity, whereas Karauyltobe had the most distinct native species composition. These descriptive findings provide a baseline for further floristic inventories and targeted monitoring of native species of conservation concern and alien plants.