Useful plants of Mongolia: Crowdsourced!

Resource Alert: Scroll down to the end of this post for a downloadable pdf of 'Useful Plants of Monoglia: A Permacultural Perspective'.

You are invited, dear reader, to participate in an open-source, collaborative project to help conduct detailed research on extreme-cold tolerant plant species which have potential for a wide variety of application in cold climates from Mongolia to Canada.

Dr Beket (the hero of our 'Reforesting the Barrens of Bayan Ulgii' story) and his research team have spent the last few years researching and compiling a list of 146 plant species (mostly tree crops) that can survive (and even thrive) the extreme, sub -40C winters (and 30C summers) of Bayan Ulgii province.

Photo: 'Dictionary of Useful Mongol Plants'

We found the above book 'A Dictionary of Useful Mongol Plants', (Ministry of Nature & Environment and Mongolian State University, 2001) in the ADRA-Mongolia offices during the project consultancy, and used plants listed in this book + selected species from Dr Beket's report to begin the work of compiling a list of our own:

• 'Useful Plants of Mongolia: A Permacultural Perspective': in which the scientific Latin names are cross-reference with common English names of plant species, while the plants characteristics, funcitions, and possible uses are listed.

Our hope is to create a catalogued database that designers can use to identify suitable plant species for use in their systems - but we need your help.

If you are knowledgeable, or simply want to increase your knowledge of cold-tolerant plant species, and have access to a good internet connection, than you can help to build this database. Choose 10 or more plants from the list below, then download the list we have started compiling (click the 'download' link at the end of this post) to see what information we are compiling, and start your researching & learning! 

Email us at theGreenBackpack [at] gmail [dot] com, with 'MONGOL PLANT DATABASE' in your subject line, and we'll send you an Excel spreadsheet template that you can use to compile your own research.  Don't forget to record the sources of your information, and in return your contribution will be recorded in the published plant list document as it continues to grow and evolve... you can become a Sustainable Overseas Aid & Development Worker (and contribute to the development of Permaculture and Regenerative design in Mongolia) from the comfort of your living room (or favourite local cafe!).

We can change the World, with our own two hands (and a decent internet connection)... one small step at a time.

Useful_Plant_Species_of_Mongolia-_A_Permacultural_Perspective.pdf Download this file

Useful Plants of Mongolia: A Permacultural Perspective', (The Asia-Pacific Center for Regenerative Design, and you, 2011)

Dr Beket's (et al) list of potentially usefully plant species suitable for Bayan Ulgii province:

1. Abies sibirica.Ldb 
2. Piciea obovata.Ldb 
3. Pinus silvestris. L 
4. Pinus pumla./Pall/ Rge 
5. Pinus sibirica/Rupr/ Maur  
6. Larix sibirica.Ldb 
7. Jiniperus sibirica Burgsd 
8. Jiniperus Sadina.L 
9. Jiniperus pseuda sadina 
10. Jiniperus daurica.Pall 
11. Epedra guisetina.Rge 
12. Epedra glausa.Rge 
13. Epedra monsperma./CA.M/ 
14. Epedra Prezewalscii.Stapf 
15. Epedra sinica. Stapf 
16. Barbaris sibirica.Pall 
17. Spriaea salicifoli.L 
18. Spriaea aguilegefolia.Pall 
19. Spriaea hypericifolia. L 
20. Spriaea media.Shmidt 
21. Spriaea sericea. Turcz
22. Spriaea flexuosa. Fisch 
23. Spriaea alpina Pall
24. Spriaea pubescens.Turcz
25. Cotaneaster melanocapa
26. Cotaneaster iniflora Bige
27. Cotaneaster mongolica Posark
28. Malus pallasina Juz
29. Sorbus sibirica Hedl
30. Cratalgus Sanuinea Pall
31. Cratalgus dauriva pedinculata. Pall
32. Amugdalus pedinculata Pall 
33. Amugdalus mongolica maxim
34. Armenica sibiroca dam
35. Padus asiatecus kom
36. Roza albertii Rge
37. Rosa daurica rall
38. Rosa kokanica Rge
39. Rosa okyacantha MB
40. Rosa Acieularus Linde
41. Rosa laxa Retz
42. Ribes nigrum.L
43. Ribes Altissimum Turcz
44. Ribes rubrum L 
45. Ribes atropurpureum C.A.M
46. Ribes diacantha pall
47. Ribes  graveolens Bge
48. Ribes pulchellum Turst 
49. Ribes nispidulum Pojark 
50. Ribes procumbens pall
51. Ribes Pausiflorum Turz 
52. Ribes Fragrans pall 
53. Grossularia acicularis /smith/ spash
54. Cargana arbazescens.Lam
55. Cargana misrophylla pall
56. Cargana pygmala/ L/ DS 
57. Cargana Leucophloea Rojark
58. Cargana jubata /Pall/ Poir
59. Cargana stenophulla Rajark 
60. Cargana bangea LDB
61. Cargana sinosa /L / DS
62. Cargana brachypoda Pojark
63. Cargana Korshinskii kom
64. Hippophea rhamnoides L
65. Eleagnus moorcrftii walli
66. Cornus alba L
67. Sambucus sibirica Nakai
68. Lonicera altaica Pall
69. Lonicera Microphulla Will
70. Lonicera hispida Pall
71. Rhododendron aureim
72. Rhododendron adamsii Rend
73. Rhododendron Parbifolium Adams 
74. Rhododendron dauricum L
75. Rhododendron Ledebaurii
76. Haloxyon omniodendron
77. Calligonum mongolicum Turcz
78. Atraphaxis  frutescen L Eversm
79. Atraphaxis  pungens Jaub
80. Atraphaxis Virgata /Rg/ krassn
81. Atraphaxis compasta hdb 
82. Tamarix ramosissina Lgb
83. Tamarix gracifis Willd
84. Tamarix elongota Ldb
85. Tamarix karelinii Bge
86. Tamarix laxa Wiild
87. Myricaria alopecuroidec. Schrenk
88. Myricaria daurica /Wiild/ Ehrenk
89. Myricaria longifolia /Wiild / Ehrenb
90. Ulmus pumila. L
91. Ulmus masgosara.Hanse
92. Ulmus propingua.Koidr
93. Salix jentanra.L
94. Salix arbuscula.L
95. Salix  berberifolia. Pall
96. salix caspica. Pall
97. Salix dasycloos.Viim 
98. Salix rorida.Loksch
99. Salix tenuifolia.Tucz
100. Salix microstachya.Tucz
101. Salix caprea.L
102. Salix /calsia vill/ glauca.L
103. Salix dahurica./Tucz/
104. Salix fumosa.Tucz Lakch
105. Salix pyrolifolia.Ldb
106. Salix chlorostachya.Tucz
107. Salix hastata.L
108. Salix kochiana.Trautv
109. Salix myrsinites.L
110. Salix mongolica. Siuz
111. Salix nummularia.Anderss
112. Salix vestita.Pursch
113. Salix reticulata.L
114. Salix sibirica. Pall 
115. Salix caesia.Vill
116. Salix livida6 Whlbg
117. Salix xerophila.Floder
118. Salix divaricata. Pall
119. Salix rosmarinofolia.L
120. Salix turczaninovii.Laksch
121. Salix torulosa.Trautv
122. Salix myrtilloides.L
123. Salix ovolifolia.Trautv
124. Salix viminalis.L
125. Populus tremula.L
126. Populus suaveolens.Ficsh
127. Populus lauripolia.Ldb
128. Populus diversifolia. Schrenk
129. Populus pilosa.Pehder 
130. Populus densa. Kom
131. Vaccinium myrtillus.L
132. Vaccinium vitis idaea.L
133. Vaccinaceae uliginosum.L
134. Betula hippolytii.Sukacz
135. Betula gmelinii.Bde
136. Betula rotundifoolia.Spach
137. Betula fruticosa. Pall 
138. Betula mandshurica/Rge/ Nakai
139. Betula microphulla.Bge
140. Betula platyphylla.Sukacz
141. Betula humilis Sukrank
142. Betula Rezniczenkoona
143. Betula Tauschii./Rge/ Koidz
144. Betula exilis. Sukacz
145. Alnus glutipes.Larm
146. Alnus fruticosa / Rupr/ Ldb