Plants Hazardous to Human Health in Kazakhstan

Abstract

The aim of this work was to identify patterns in the distribution of species diversity of allergenic and poisonous plants across the floristic regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As a result of this research, 51 of the most toxic species of vascular plants belonging to 34 families were identified on the territory of the republic. The list of allergenic plants includes 59 species belonging to six families. An additional analysis of the distribution patterns of allergenic and poisonous plants was conducted, based on their relationship with leading environmental factors. The positive relationship between the number of allergenic species and the aridity index values shows that an increase in the number of allergenic species occurs with an increase in climate humidity. The high correlation between the number of poisonous species and the average annual precipitation suggests that the number of poisonous species increases with an increase in floristic diversity in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kazakhstan. The conducted cartographic analysis showed that the greatest number of allergen species of different groups blooming from spring to autumn includes the following floristic regions: forest–steppe, arid steppes, dry and desert steppes, and northern deserts and mountains. The greatest number of poisonous plant species is found in mountainous regions with high floristic diversity.