Vascular plants of forest-steppe depressions (Voronezh Region)

The dataset contains a list of vascular plant species from natural complexes of two closed forest-steppe depressions (Russian Federation, Voronezh region, Verkhnekhavsky district) recorded in 2019. Flat-bottom steppe depressions (padings) are flat-bottomed hollows, often rounded, in diameter up to several hundred meters and a depth of several meters. Depressions are widespread on plains composed of loess loam in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of the European part of Russian Federation. They are elements of the forest-steppe complex, which includes meadow steppes, plant groups on saline soils, meadows, swamps, willows and aspen groves (“aspen bushes”). Currently, the forest-steppe complex is severely disturbed by human activities: meadows and steppes are almost everywhere plowed. The ecological conditions of the interfluve depressions (close occurrence of groundwater, meltwater spring stagnation, waterlogging, salinity) do not allow the use of these lands in crop production. Actually, this is the main reason that these elements of the forest-steppe complex are now preserved among plowed agricultural fields and play an important role in the biodiversity conservation. Information on the flora and vegetation of Voronezh region depressions is contained in several publications (Popov, 1914; Kamyshev, 1965; Drozdov, Akhtyrtsev, 1973). In these articles, forest depressions of Voronezh region are described as complexes of grass or sedge bogs, aspen (Populus tremula) or birch-aspen (Betula pendula - Populus tremula), less often - oak-aspen-birch and oak groves and shrub thickets (willow bushes with species of Salix genus and blackthorns with Prunus spinosa). These publications mention the single presence of pine (Pinus sylvestris) in the tree layer of some depressions (Drozdov and Akhtyrtsev, 1973); however, to date, forest communities with pine domination have not been described in the forest-steppe depressions of European part of Russia. The pine forests in the interfluve depressions of the Voronezh region are a new phenomenon. The dataset is the first publication of vascular plant flora of interfluve depressions natural complex located in Verkhnekhavsky district of Voronezh region. The dataset contains new data on the records of rare species listed in the Red List of Voronezh region.