Plants of Turkish Ultramafic Areas: Past, Present & Future

ABSTRACT Ultramafic (serpentine) soils, derived from magnesium‐ and iron‐rich rocks, impose extreme edaphic conditions characterized by generally low nutrient availability, high Mg:Ca ratios, and elevated concentrations of metals such as Ni, Cr, and Co. These “harsh environments” act as natural laboratories for studying plant adaptation, endemism, and metal tolerance. Türkiye, with its extensive and geologically diverse ultramafic outcrops, harbors one of the richest serpentine floras in the Northern Hemisphere yet remains understudied relative to other regions. This review synthesizes the historical and contemporary understanding of plant life on Turkish ultramafics, tracing early botanical exploration, herbarium‐based chemical analyses, and field discoveries that have revealed over 60 Ni‐hyperaccumulating taxa and at least 130 serpentine endemics. We highlight how advances in analytical techniques, from portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) to molecular and genomic tools, have expanded the detection and ecological interpretation of metal accumulation. Despite this progress, large geographic and taxonomic gaps persist, particularly for central and eastern Anatolia. Future research priorities include comprehensive chemical reanalysis of herbarium specimens, targeted field surveys of unexplored ultramafic regions, integrative molecular–ecophysiological studies to clarify the mechanisms of serpentine tolerance as well as phylogenetic origins of serpentine endemic plants, and applied studies on conservation approaches for Turkish serpentinophytes. Together, these efforts will enhance our understanding of plant evolution in metal‐rich environments and contribute to both biodiversity conservation and applied fields such as phytoremediation and biogeochemical prospecting.