Abstract
<em>Astragalus penduliflorus</em> Lam. is an alpine-subalpine species. Several isolated populations occur in Europe: in the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians and in central Sweden. <em>Astragalus penduliflorus</em> is considered as critically endangered species in Poland, growing only at the locality in the Smytnia Valley, in the Western Tatra Mountains. The population is at risk, due to the limited reproduction caused by law rate of seed germination, periodically shortened vegetation period that prevent seed development and gnawing the aerial plant parts by deer. The aim of the study was to explain the reason for the poor germination of <em>A. penduliflorus</em> seeds. As a result of mechanical scarification, 100% of <em>A. penduliflorus</em> seeds germinated, which proved that these seeds are characterized by a water-impermeable seed coat, which classified them as hard seeds that go through physical dormancy. Results obtained in this work can be used for effective reproduction and active conservation of threatened <em>A. penduliflorus</em>.
Highlights
Astragalus penduliflorus Lam. is a high mountain species with a disjunct distribution
After chemical scarification with sulfuric acid, twice more seeds germinated (48%), from which twice more seedlings were obtained compared to the control seeds, after mechanical scarification with sandpaper, seeds germinated in 100% and 5 times more seedlings were obtained compared to control
Scarification with concentrated sulfuric acid allowed to increase the percentage of germinating seeds of A. penduliflorus, it was comparable to the control
Summary
Astragalus penduliflorus Lam. is a high mountain species with a disjunct distribution. It occurs in Europe in the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, and in Sweden. Astragalus penduliflorus received the status of critically endangered species (CR) in the Polish red data book of plants [1]. Astragalus penduliflorus is a perennial forming large, single tufts. The leaves are imparipinnate, composed of 7–11 pairs of oblong leaflets. It reproduces generatively, forming racemes consisting of up to 14 flowers. The flowers are pendulous, intensely yellow, and the fruits are single-chamber pods – pendulous, strongly dilated and usually four-seeded. The plant blooms from June to August [2]
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