Invesrtigating Some Challenges in Domesticating Endemic Plants of Iran-O-Toorani Vegetation Region for Iran’s Urban Landscaping

Iran-o-Tourani’s vegetation region covers 85% of Iran’s land and includes a large number of endemic plant species in this arid and semi-arid climatic region of the world. They have aesthetic, medicinal, industrial and commercial potentials and are well adapted to drought conditions of the region. They are, therefore, valuable resources for native landscaping or sometimes multifunctional landscaping in Iran. However, there are challenges in domesticating these plant species for application in urban landscapes. Using desktop studies and based on field investigation experiences of the co-authors during the last decades, this paper first introduces Iran-o-Toorani’s vegetation region and its major vegetation forms. It will then describes some challenges on adaptation of the important plant forms and groups from this vegetation region for application in urban landscaping of Iran. The outcome of this paper can provide a stepforward for introducing native plants of this important region into its adjacent urban landscapes. It can, therefore, provide knowledge on sustainable native urban landscaping using flora of Iran’s arid and semi-arid environments.