Collection Fund of the Laboratory of Ornamental Plants of the Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden: Historical Overview and Current State

Abstract

The collection fund of the Laboratory of Ornamental Plants of the Main Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences, was established in 1947. Today it includes 1055 plant species and varieties as well as 4995 cultivars and garden forms of cultivated plants. The current policy of a collection formation is aimed at the creation of unique collections. Such generic complexes as Paeonia, Rosa, Syringa, and Tulipa are presented as large monocollections. Domestic cultivars dominate in collections of Dendranthema, Lilium, Phlox, and Clematis. Collections of Narcissus, Hemerocallis, and Tulipa are focused on the preservation of retro cultivars. The main stages of microevolutionary development of cultivated species are demonstrated by the example of the genera Astilbe and Iris.