ABSTRACT
The topography of Mongolia may be divided into seven vegetation zones: montagne, alpine, taiga, steppe, forest-steppe, desert-steppe, and desert. Mongolia has extreme weather conditions; notably there is wide seasonal variation in temperature from +45 C to -45 C. In order to thrive under these extreme conditions, Mongolian plants needed to be adaptable which included the synthesis of many secondary metabolites that are principal sources for traditional medicine. It is estimated that about 3,160 species, 684 genera, and 108 families of vascular plants exist in Mongolia, and of these, about 1,100 species are medicinal plants. This chapter is devoted to brief descriptions of each of these edible plants. It is found on the edge of forests, on meadow slopes, and on river shorelines of Khovsgol, Khentei, Khangai, Mong-Dag., and Dornod Mongolia.
