Neriman Özhatay from Istanbul University, a foremost Turkish botanist, volunteered to lead the study. Fatma Güneş from the local Kafkas University Botanical Department organized field studies with her students to environmentally sensitive areas near our project villagers. Dr. Vinod, an expert Indian botanist and Ayurvedic doctor shared valuable knowledge. By the end of the study, nearly 2000 plants were collected and 500 species were identified, and most transported to the herbarium of Istanbul University.

​The collection included endemic species such as Onosma nigricaule, Anemona Albana, Lathyrus karsianus and Rosa pisiforme. According to Flora of Turkey, approximately 1200 taxa are found in Kars province, including those named after the region, such as Lathyrus karsianus, Seneceio integrifolius subsp. karsianus, Chaerophyllum karsianum, Festuca karsianum, Allium karsianum, and Nonea karsensis​.

PLANT SPECIMEN COLLECTED DURING THE STUDY

CARYOPHYLLACEAE
​Arenaria blepharophylla var. parviflora
Cerastium dichotomum ssp. dichotomum
Cerastium pungens
Cerastium purpurescens 
Dianthus carmelitarum
Dianthus calocephalus
Dianthus cretaceus 
Dianthus crinitus 
Dianthus orientalis 
Dianthus zonatus 
Dianthus zonatus var. aristatus 
Dianthus zonatus var zonatus 
Gysophila elegans 
Gysophila silenoides 
Lepyrodiclis halosteoides 
Minuartia umbelliferavar. umbellifera 
Minuartia verna 
Moenchia mantica ssp. mantica 
Silene alba 
Silene alba ssp. eriocalycina 
Silene dichotoma 
Silene dichotoma ssp. sibthorpiana 
Silene saxatilis 
Silene spergulifolia 
Silene vulgaris var. vulgaris
CRUCIFERAE
Aethionema arabicum
Alyssum minus var. minus 
Alyssum repens var. trichostachyum 
Alyssum tortuosum 
Barbarea ninor var. minor 
Barbarea vulgaris 
Camelina rumelica 
Capsella bursa-pastoris 
Cardaria draba 
Crambe orientalis 
Cardamine uliginosa 
Draba nemorosa 
Descurainia sophia 
Erysimum passgalanse
Hesperis bicuspidata 
Hesperis persica 
Isatis glauca 
Lepidium perfoliatum 
Lepidium vesicarium 
Nasturtium officinale 
Sinapis arvensis 
Sisymbrium loeselli 
Thlaspi arvense 
Turritus glabra
COMPOSITAE
Achillea biebersteinii
Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium 
Anthemis cotula 
Anthemis cretica
Anthemis tinctoria var.pallida
Artemisia absinthium 
Artemisia chamaemellifolia
Aster amellus subsp.ibericus 
Centaurea cheiranthifolia var.cheiranthifolia 
Centaurea depressa 
Centaurea macrocephala 
Centaurea pterocaula 
Centaurea pulcherrima var. pulcherrima 
Centaurea rhizocalathium 
Centaurea stevenii 
Centaurea triumfettii 
Cirsium arvense subsp. vestitum 
Erigeron caucasicus susp. caucasicus 
Hieracium umbellatum 
Jurinea consanguinea 
Leontodon hispidus var. hispidus 
Leucanthemum vulgare 
Pulicaria dysenterica 
Scorzonera suberosa subsp. suberosa 
Serratula radiata subsp. biebersteiniana 
Sonchus palustris 
Tanacetum balsamita subsp. balsamitoides 
Tanacetum chiliophyllum var.chiliophyllum 
Tanacetum punctatum 
Taraxacum bessarabicum subsp. bessarabicum 
Taraxacum macrolepium 
Tenacetum abrotanifolium 
Tragopogon aureus 
Tripleurospermum microcephalum 
Tripleurospermum monticolum 
Xeranthum annum
UMBELLIFERAE
Anthriscus sylvestris 
Astrodaucus orientalis 
Chaerophyllum astrantiae 
Chaerophyllum bulbosum 
Chamaesciadium acaule 
Chaerophyllum crinitum 
Heracleum trachyloma 
Malabaila dasyantha 
Pimpinella affinis 
Scandix iberica