Floristic classification and ecology of tundra vegetation of the Taymyr Peninsula, northern Siberia

A first systematic description is presented of tundra plant communities of the Taymyr Peninsula, northern Siberia, using the floristic approach of the Braun‐Blanquet School. Five associations are described: 1. Carici arctisibiricae‐Hylocomietum alaskanii , the main‘zonal’association, widely spread on ‘plakor’, i.e. flat or slightly sloping well‐drained sites in the tundra zone, but absent in the polar desert zone. 2. Meesio triquetris‐Caricetum stantis , typical for mire depressions throughout the tundra zone. 3. Poo arcticae‐Dupontietum fisheri , found in the northern part of the typical tundra subzone on western Taymyr. 4. Gymnomitrio‐Phippsietum concinnae and 5. Deschampsio‐Cerastietum regelii , which occur on snowbeds with various snow duration. Within several of these associations vicariants are described. These syntaxa are only the first to be described for the Taymyr area. A complete description is still under way.