INSIDE Flora in Armenia Spring Summer Ecological Risks Resources

This sample Itinerary shows the type of flowers that should be in bloom in early July (season: mid-late June-mid July). While no one can guarantee that all flowers listed will be in bloom at this exact time period (mother nature follows her own rhythms), the majority of these listed are the most likely to be found.

This itinerary also requires you know botany or have an expert guide--it requires driving into remote areas of the central and Northern regions of the country and a great deal of slogging through terrain. Without expert guidance, your chances to see many of these flowers is severely limited

Guides: Nora Gabrillian, Professor at the Botanical Institute and internationally recognized scholar, is the most renowned botanical specialist in Armenia, and is can guide or find guides for serious botanical groups. Her personal guidance is must be arranged well in advance. If unavailable, she will point you to equally qualified persons. Her e-mail is botany@freenet.am. She normally is out of the country from December - March of each year.

Also contact Ori Fragman at ofragman@about.com. Ori works hand in hand with Nora on Armenia Botanical tours, as well as guiding tours himself to Israeli flora (East Mediterranean) in the Spring time. Shinwa Tours, the largest botanical and bird watching association in Japan, always combine the two for an extraordinary flower watching tour.

1: YEREVAN-GARNI-GEGHARD-YEREVAN
Garni-Geghard Gorges

In-Season Flowers: Terrain up to 1650 m alt.

Near Voghjaberd, Charents Arch, mountain steppe, 1650 m alt.
Acanthophyllum mucronatum, Centaurea carduiformis, Cnicus benedictus, Phlomis pungens

Garni, Azat River Canyon, 1350 m. alt.
Alkanna orientalis, Campanula choziatowskyi, Michauxia laevigata, Scabiosa micrantha, Astragalus, finitimus, Acantheolimon armenum

Geghard Monastery, 1650 m alt.
Achillea filipendulina, Serratula serratuloides, Rindera lanata, Arenaria graminea, Lotus gebelia, Pseudosophora alopecuroides, Stachys lavandulifolia

2: YEREVAN-Mt. ARAGATS-AMBERD-KARI LICH-YEREVAN

In-Season Flowers: Terrain up to 3200 m alt.

Mt. Aragats, Amberd fortress and canyon, 2100-2200 m alt.
Nectaroscordum tripedale, Inula maria,e Papaver orientale, Astragalus hyalolepis, Medicago dzhavakhetica, Trifolium bordzilovskyi, Ornithogalum najastanicum, Dianthus cretaceus, Solenanthus stamineus

Mt. Aragats, near Kari Lich, alpine meadow 3200 m alt.
Doronicum oblongifolium, Taraxacum stevenii, Primula algida, Campanula tridentata, Gentiana pontica, Oxytropis albana, Androsace raddeana, Pedicularis crassirostris, Erodium armenum, Daphne kurdica, Delphinium freynii, Hedysarum caucasicum

3: YEREVAN-HADIS-TZAKHADZOR
In-Season Flowers: Terrain up to 2200 m alt.

Mt. Hadis mountain steppe, 1800 m alt.
Acanthus dioscoridis, Podospermum armeniacum, Onosma gehardica, Crambe orientalis, Dinathus subulosus, Vicia cracca, Phlomis tuberosa, Cerastium purpurasceus, Papaver orientale, Papaver paucifoliatum (even larger than P. orientale), Linaria grandiflora, Dianthus cretaceus, Aster alpinum, Centaurea cheuizanthifolia (c. fischeri), Doronicum macrophyllum, Anemone fasciculata, Filipendula hexapetala

4: TZAKHADZOR-L'CHASHEN-GEGHAM RANGE-TZAKHADZOR
In Season Flowers: Terrain up to 2200 m alt.

Subalpine meadow, 2100-2200 m alt.
Iris furcata, Lilium armenum, Allium aucheri, Anthyllis boissieri, Lathyrus cyaneus, Vicia truncatula, Linum densiflorum, Senecio integrifolinus, Centaurea cheiranthifolia, Gladiolus kotschyanus, Gladiolus hajastanicus

5: TZAKHADZOR - SEVAN PASS - PUSHKIN PASS - STEPANAVAN

In season Flowers: Terrain to 2100 m alt.
Gladiolus tenuis, G. kotschyanus, Zingeria trichopoda, Papaver paucifoliatum, Papaver orientale, Caltha polypetala

Subalpine meadow, con. Forest, hornbeam forest, 1300-2100 m alt.
Gentiana gelida, Geranium sanguineum, Gymnadenia conopsea (orchid), Dictamnus albus, Lilium szovitsianum, Psephellus somcheticus, Campanula alliarii folia (white), Delphinium freynii (endemic to transcaucasus)

6: STEPANAVAN - ASHOTSK - SHAHNAZAR - STEPANAVAN
In-season Flowers: Terrain up to 1800 m alt.

Lakes near Stepanavan
Water lily

Subalpine meadow, lakes, 1300-1800 m. alt.
Gladiolus caucasicus, Gladiolus dzhavakheticus, Cephalaria gigantea, Nymphaea alba, Aconitum nasutum, Delphinium freynii, Nymphoides peltata, Utricularia intermedia (pale yellow), U. vulgaris (bright yellow)

7: STEPANAVAN - SPITAK - SPITAK PASS - APNAGIUGH - YEREVAN

In season Flowers: Mountain steppe terrain
Centaurea polypodiifolia, C.glehnii, C.carduiformis, Asphodeline taurica, Convolvulus calvertii, Convolvulus lineatus, Hedisarum formusum, Linaria grandiflora, Scabiosa caucasica, Galium verum, Tomanthea aucheri

LINKS

Images (photos by Tigran Nazarian)
Armenian Botanical Society
EcoCenter
Large Flowered Poppies
Ecotourism.com (currently down, but try in case)
Armenian Flora/Fauna Stamps
Article on Armenia's Flora (Russian)

Climate Change Info Center-Armenia
Dept. of Envirnomental Science (courses)
Armenia Tree Project
Dictionary of Botanical Epithets

INDIVIDUAL REPORTS
Threatened Species in Armenia
State of Environment Report 2000 (UN)

write TourArmenia -

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