Assessment of Woody Plant Composition in Cemeteries of Istanbul in Terms of Plant Use and Sustainable Green Space

The cemeteries are one of the most important green areas in cities. Their woody plant compositions can give important information on plant use and diversity in the cities. The purpose of the study is to determine the woody plant compositions and plant use in the cemeteries of Istanbul. An inventory of trees, shrubs, and woody vines was taken in six cemeteries of the European side of Istanbul. Sorensen similarity index and richness, and Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were used in the analysis. A total of 195 taxa was identified, 60% of these were exotic and 40% were native taxa. Regarding the life forms, 98 of them were trees, 82 of them shrubs, 4 of them tree-shrubs, and 11 of them were woody vine. Rosaceae family has the highest number of members (35 taxa). The number of the woody plant taxa ranges from 45 to 101 in the cemeteries. Eight percent of the total number of species were present in all six cemeteries.The results indicated that the similarity of the woody species composition of the Istanbul cemeteries is moderate and slightly higher. Cupressus sempervirens L. is used as the main species in the cemeteries from Ottoman Empire to the present and the others are Cedrus libani A. Rich., Cercis siliquastrum L., and Celtis australis L. for the sustainable management of Istanbul urban green areas. The woody vegetation of cemeteries should be preserved but native species should be more preferred for future cemetery plantings.