Flora of kurgans in the "Wild Fields" (Ukraine)

A kurgan (barrow, mound, tumulus, or tomb) is defined as a mound of earth (and/or pile of stones), often conical or hemispherical in shape, constructed over a burial chamber containing a single or multiple graves. Kurgans are not associated with specific climatic-vegetation zones, but most of them are located in the steppes (or their American equivalent, the prairies). Barrows in Europe (Eurasia) were built from the Eneolithic through the Bronze and Iron Ages up to the early Middle Ages. Most of them were attributed to nomadic peoples, as: Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians (Iron Age), and later: Huns, Bulgarians, Magyars, Polovtsians, Nogays and others. Kurgans provide evidence of migrations and wars conducted by nomadic or semi-sedentary peoples. The earliest information about the barrows on the north shore of the Black Sea was provided by Herodotus in "The Histories". Some sporadic information also comes from the late Middle Ages. Kurgans are some of the most characteristic features of the Ukrainian landscape. It is hard to imagine the history and landscape of Ukraine without barrows. Ukraine is referred to as "the land of kurgans" not without reason. The original number of kurgans in Ukraine is estimated at half a million, of which probably about 100 000 (according to other authors, 50 000 or 150 000) survive to this day. The barrows were destroyed because they disturbed the large-scale agriculture. On the other hand, those that survived (usually larger) became difficult to access among the great fields. Their flora persisted, but there was a problem of its isolation. Contemporary research (2004-2012) has shown the great importance of kurgans in preserving biodiversity. The examined barrows were spread over an area of approximately 32,000 km2 in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovograd regions. Of the approximately 500 visited kurgans we chosen 106 with the most interesting flora. The kurgan flora database includes 719 vascular flora taxa (Some species were identifed only to genus 3, species 711, subspecies 5) collected on 106 examined barrows. The total number occurrences is 28,456. Among the recorded species are numerous protected species and taxa listed in the Red Data Book of Plants of Ukraine (2009). The burial mounds should therefore be particularly protected, not only as a monument of archeology, but also because of their natural values.