New syntaxa of steppe vegetation of the class Festuco-Brometea in the Kuialnyk Estuary valley (Odesa Region, Ukraine) are reported: two associations and four subassociations. Communities of the association Festuco valesiacae-Galatelletum biflorae occupy subsaline ecotopes with slightly undulate mesorelief and shell-sandy soils, as well as slopes with eroded chernozem soils and limestone outcrops. Communities of the association Pimpinello titanophilae-Thymetum dimorphi are confined to the outcrops of limestone rocks on steep or flat upper and middle parts of the slopes, and to surfaces of abandoned coquina mines. This association includes two subassociations: typicum and paronychietosum cephalotae, differing in floristic composition and character of the bedrock (loose gravel or solid stone boulders). Communities of the subassociation Stipo lessingianae-Salvietum nutantis caraganetosum fruticis are formed on the eroded slopes of south-east and south-west expositions, where close to surface limestones stabilize the landslide processes. Communities of the subassociation Ephedro distachyae-Stipetum capillatae stipetosum lessingianae are confined mainly to the slopes of the western bank of the estuary with weakly developed chernozem rubbly eroded soils, often with limestone outcrops. Floro-coenotic feature of these communities compared with the eastern steppes is a combination of south-steppe species with north-steppe and meadow ones in their floristic composition. The floristic specificity of the new syntaxa is participation of subendemic species in their coeno-florocomplexes.

Supplementary Material. Electronic Supplement (Table E1, p. e2) is available in the online version of this article

Keywords: Festuco-Brometea, Kuialnyk estuary, new associations and subassociations, Ukraine

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