The aim of the present study is to update the checklist of vascular plants endemic to Mongolia using previous checklists, publications, herbarium collections, and field observations. The revised checklist includes 102 endemic taxa (95 species, five subspecies, and two nothospecies) from 43 genera and 19 families. The majority of endemic taxa were distributed in western and central Mongolia, and high endemic species richness was identified in four phytogeographical regions, namely Mongolian Altai, Khangai, Dzungarian Gobi, and Gobi Altai, which harbor 49, 27, 20, and 16 endemic taxa, respectively. For each endemic taxon, we compiled information about growth form, conservation status (if already assessed), phytogeographical distribution, and voucher specimens. Data on each taxon’s type specimen were also collected, and the majority of the type specimens were accessioned at the LE (58 taxa), MW (20 taxa), and UBA (7 taxa) herbaria.

The Altai Mountains of central Asia are biologically rich and comprise a wide diversity of ecosystems and lineages, including numerous endemic vascular plant species. Here we provide an updated checklist of the endemic vascular flora of the Altai Mountains with more taxa and higher geographic resolution than previously reported, as well as first molecular data and specimen images for many of these species. This flora is now known to contain 321 endemic species distributed in 34 families, many of which are narrowly restricted to one subregion of the Altai. The Fabaceae has given rise to the most endemic species in the Altai (74 spp.), and most of this diversity is found in the large and ecologically important genera Astragalus and Oxytropis. Approximately 60% of the endemic flora was imaged and successfully barcoded with at least one of three common DNA barcoding loci, and a phylogenetic tree based upon these loci is also presented to display the evolutionary breadth of endemism in the Altai. The distribution of each endemic species is presented in terms of a standard geographic subdivision of the Altai region, with general conservation priorities discussed based on areas currently afforded protected status.

In contrast to the well-studied West Siberian sector of frozen bogs in the Russian Arctic, the frozen mound bogs (so-called “palsas”) on the highlands of Southern Siberia have not yet been studied, but they are suspected to be even more sensitive to ongoing climate change. This article provides the pilot study on palsa mire Kara-Sug in the highland areas of Western Sayan mountain system, Tuva Republic. The study focuses on the current state of palsa mire and surrounding landscapes, providing wide range of ecological characteristics while describing ongoing transformations of natural landscapes under a changing climate. The study used a variety of field and laboratory methods: the integrated landscape-ecological approach, the study of peat deposits, geobotanical analysis, and modern analysis of the chemical composition of water, peat, and soils. The study shows that highland palsa mires are distinguished by their compactness and high variety of cryogenic landforms leading to high floristic and ecosystem diversity compared with lowland palsa mires. This information brings new insights and contributes to a better understanding of extrazonal highland palsa mires, which remain a “white spot” in the global environmental sciences.