The object of research is spontaneous vegetation of Melitopol and its adjoining territory. The aim is to establish the consistent patterns of prevalence of plant communities on the territory of Melitopol and its suburbs and on the basis of these consistent patterns to conduct zoning of the town to ground the destination of vegetation optimization in urban conditions. The methods of research are routed expeditional examination, reconnaissance examination, geobotany descriptions, ecological and floristic classification of Brown-Blanke(t) and "deductive" approach of K. Kopecky and S. Heine, synphytoindication, mapping (cartography), statistical and mathematical analysis. (TURBOVEG 2.0, JUICE 7.0, MS Excel 2007, Statistica 8.0). The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time in Ukrainian Steppe zone the complex research of spontaneous vegetation in Melitopol and its suburbs has been conducted; ecological and floristic classification has been developed; prodromus including 15 associations, 5 derivative groups and 5 monodominative groups belonging to 15 unions, 11 orders and 8 classes (Robinietea, Agropyretea repentis, Chenopodietea, Artemisietea vulgaris, Festuco-Brometea, Querco-Fagetea, Polygono arenastri-Poetea annua, Asteretea tripolium) has been composed; for the first time on the researched area 5 stable (sustained, persistant) derivative groups (Celtis occidentalis L.+ Chelidonium majus L., Torillis japonica (Houtt.) DC. + Celtis occidentalis L., Pinus pallasiana D. Don + Celtis occidentalis L., class Robinietea; syntaxon Quercus robur L. + Fraxinus excelsior L., class Querco-Fagetea, syntaxon Salvia nemorosa L. + Convolvulus arvensis L. class Agropyretea repentis) have been described; species composition of adventive fraction of spontaneous flora, formed with species belonging to 31 families and 66 genera, 59 of them represented only by adventive species, has been established; phyto-indicational analysis of ecological factors on the level of plant classes and structural analysis of spontaneous flora of Melitopol and its suburbs have been conducted for the first time; theoretical and methodical ground of town zoning on the basis of cenoindicational complexes of spontaneous vegetation has been processed. The practical significance. The results of the research have been embedded into the production activity of LLC "Melitopol project" and the educational process of Melitopol State Pedagogical University of B. Khmelnitsky. The scope of use includes phytomelioration and park and garden facilities.
