Flora Of Russia Research Articles

РОЛЬ БОТАНИЧЕСКОЙ ЛАБОРАТОРИИ И.Н. ГОРОЖАНКИНА В ИЗУЧЕНИИ ФЛОРЫ СРЕДНЕЙ РОССИИ

2024 marks the 140th anniversary of the beginning of the expeditions of the laboratory of the Botanical Garden of Moscow University under the supervision of Professor Ivan Nikolaevich Gorozhankin to study the Central Russian flora. The historical and scientific context of the studies of this traditional object for the Botanical Garden of Moscow University during the 18th - early 21st centuries is traced. It is shown how the long-term targeted field research by the staff of the laboratory of the Botanical Garden has contributed to a methodologically unified approach to the organization of the program for studying the flora of the Oka River basin allowed not only to expand the territorial coverage, going beyond the purely Moscow region, but also to significant contribute to the development of an important scientific problem, namely, the cognition of the phenomenon of the Oka River flora. Gorozhankin’s principle of systemic research of regional flora was successfully implemented at the end of the 20th century by scientists of the Botanical Garden of Moscow University in the study of the flora of Central Russia.

Two new species of Callophyllis (Rhodophyta, Kallymeniaceae) from the Russian Pacific coast

ABSTRACT Seven species of Callophyllis have been known off the Pacific coast of Russia; hovewer, molecular data have been obtained only for three species. In this study we re-examined the genus along the Russian Pacific coast using a comparative morphological study and molecular analyses based on rbcL and nrLSU. Five genetic species were identified on the Russian coast based on phylogenetics and species delimitation (ASAP and p-distance) analyses; while C. beringensis, C. papulosa and C. platyna were outscore of the analyses. The results of the molecular analyses uncovered one undescribed species, which we named C. selivanovae sp. nov. The divergence between this species and other species of the genus varied from 1.16% to 5.66%, while intraspecific divergence in the genus was in a range of 0.00%–0.22%. In phylogenetic trees C. selivanovae was recognized as sister to a diverse clade including C. thompsonii, C. beringensis, C. violacea, C. flabellulata and C. variegata from the Pacific coast of Canada. Callophyllis selivanovae from the southeastern coast of Kamchatka is morphologically close to C. beringensis, described from St. Paul Island (Bering Sea); the two species differ in features of branching, shape and size of the terminal branches. We propose a new name, C. perestenkoae sp. nov., for the algae previously listed in the Russian flora as ‘C. flabellata’. Pacific specimens assigned to C. perestenkoae differ from C. flabellata from the type locality (Atlantic, France) in having irregular branching, thicker apical branches, and smaller cystocarps. We also filled in the gaps in the description of C. radula for which procarp and tetrasporangia are described herein for the first time.

Distribution of Poisonous Plants in Biomes of the Southern Far East of Russia

Poisonous plants are a collective group of plants of various systematic categories that contain phytotoxins that pose a potential danger to humans and animals. A number of publications both in Russia and abroad are devoted to the problem of patterns of distribution of plants hazardous to human health in connection with environmental factors. This work is a continuation of research into the spread of plants dangerous to humans in Russia. The aim of this work is ecological and geographical analysis of poisonous plants distribution in biomes of the Far East in Russia. Resulted from the research work on the territory of the far-eastern biomes of Russia we revealed 87 the most toxic vascular plant species that belong to 21 plant families. Some of the most poisonous plants of the Russian flora are plants of the genus Aconitum, of the family (Ranunculaceae). About 70 species of this genus grow in Russia, of which 40 are found only in the Far East, since this territory is considered the center of botanical diversity of the genus in question. The cartographical analysis showed that the highest number of poisonous plant species could be found in the south-east regions – in Primorye, the basin of Ussuri river, in the lower and middle course of the river Amur. Based on a map of Russian biomes, optimal habitats for poisonous plants were identified. Maximum number of Aconitum species, as the most poisonous genus of Russian flora, is in the mountain biomes and in the plain forest-steppe biomes in the Amur basin. The types of ecosystems with the maximum abundance and diversity of poisonous plants have been identified. The species richness distribution shows the concentration of poisonous plant species in small mountain biomes and in arid-like biomes. Correlation analysis of relationships between the number of plant species and climatic factors revealed the significant closeness of the correlation with the average annual air temperature (0,66). Maximum correlation closeness appeared to be between number of poisonous plant species per 10 000 km2 and total number of vascular plants per 10 000 km2 (0,81).

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF PLANTS OF THE GENUS VITEX L. (LAMIACEAE)

A comparative phytochemical study of selected species of the genus Vitex L. (Lamiaceae) (V. agnus-castus, V. canescens, V. negundo, V. tripinnata) from the flora of Russia and Vietnam out was carried. The largest amount of extractive compounds was obtained from the leaves of V. agnus-castus when extracted with 60 % ethanol. Color reactions with Trim Hill and Stahl reagents, as well as thin-layer chromatography data, showed a high content of iridoids in extracts of leaves of V. agnus-castus and V. negundo and their low content (or absence) in V. tripinnata and V. canescens leaf extracts. The greatest amount of polyphenols and flavonoids is contained in the extract of the leaves of V. agnus-castus. The smaller amount of polyphenols is found in the leaves of V. canescens, and least amount of flavonoids is found in the leaves of V. tripinnata. All Vitex samples studied are characterized by an increased content of essential trace elements – iron, copper and zinc, and the leaves of V. tripinnata are also high in cobalt. High antiradical activity of all leaf samples of Vitex species was established. The relationship between the content of secondary metabolites and the position of species on the molecular phylogenetic tree of the genus Vitex is shown, which makes it possible to develop a chemotaxonomic forecast for search species of this genus with an increased content of biologically active compounds of a certain class (iridoids, polyphenols, phytoecdysteroids) for further pharmacological studies.

Orchids of Russia and Crimea: herbarium collections provide sufficient data to recover the distributional changes with time

Monitoring the distributional changes of native vascular plants over time is an important task both from the scientific and conservation point. However, numerical data for such studies are often missing, especially for countries lacking national biodiversity datasets, such as Russia. The main aim of this study was to assess whether direct data from herbarium collections are sufficient to recover the distributional changes effectively. The object of this study was the orchid family, a conservationally important group of plants, in the Flora of Russia and Crimea. Primary source of the data were georeferenced herbarium labels from 59 herbarium collections. The distributional changes were assessed by comparisons between the numbers of grid cells with records in different time intervals, taking into account the variation of recording intensity with time.The method proved to be applicable to 108 out of 135 species of orchids occurring within the studied territory. For many of them, reliable changes in the number of localities were confirmed. Among widely distributed orchid species constant negative change was detected for Anacamptis coriophora, Calypso bulbosa, Coeloglossum viride, Cypripedium guttatum, C. macranthos, Gymnadenia conopsea, Herminium monorchis, Neotinea ustulata, Orchis militaris, Platanthera hologlottis; constant positive change was recovered for Dactylorhiza baltica and D. fuchsii only. In many species, trends over time were uneven. The direction of change proved to be generally consistent for a given species across the whole studied territory, suggesting the principal influence of general factors, such as climate change and general eutrophication of the environment. The direction of change is consistent with type of geographic distribution of plants.Although the method used in the current study for recovering distributional changes has limitations, it may be further recommended for use with other taxa.

Classification of the Plant World as a Basis for the Formation of Floristic Law

The article is devoted to the substantiation of the addition of natural resource law with the “Floral Law” branch. According to the author, not all flora has received proper legal foundation. As a basis for the definition of the plant world, it is proposed to use its classification according to two criteria: first, the territorial-target attribute of the lands on which plants grow; secondly, the sign of the usefulness-harmfulness of the plants themselves for the environment and humans. The legal of the last classification is superimposed on the first classification. The first classification allows us to consider floristic law in the widest possible way, including almost all types of flora. These relations are considered by various branches of law. In a narrow view, floristic law includes only landscaped urban areas located on the territory of settlements. These relations are currently regulated by regional legislation. This does not exclude the formation of an expanded understanding of floristic law, which, in particular, takes place in the Republic of Crimea. Basing on the analysis of the Russian legislation and laws on the flora of neighboring CIS states, the author comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to create the Federal Law “On the Flora of Russia” for setting the elements of both broad and narrow understanding of the scope of flora objects belonging to the floristic law: principles and tasks of floristic law (In the broadest sense), as well as establishing the competence of the regions, the scope of floristic law in a narrow (or extended) interpretation.

Chemical Diversity of Artemisia rutifolia Essential Oil, Antimicrobial and Antiradical Activity

This paper presents the results of the study of the composition of the essential oil (EO) of Artemisia rutifolia by the GC/MS method as well as its antimicrobial and antiradical activities. According to the PCA-analysis, these EOs can be conditionally divided into "Tajik" and "Buryat-Mongol" chemotypes. The first chemotype is characterized by the prevalence of α- and β-thujone, and the second chemotype by the prevalence of 4-phenyl-2-butanone, camphor. The greatest antimicrobial activity of A. rutifolia EO was observed against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. The EO showed high antiradical activity with an IC50 value of 17.55 μL/mL. The presented first data on the composition and activity of the EO of A. rutifolia of the Russian flora indicate the prospects of the species as a raw material for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.

Dactylorhiza sambucina (Orchidaceae) should be excluded from the Flora of Russia

The species Dactylorhiza sambucina, which is included into the Red Data Book of Russian Federation, should be excluded from the Flora of Russia. Its reports from the Orel Region were based on the incorrectly determined herbarium specimens of other taxa. Reports from the Bryansk Region although not confirmed by herbarium specimens are also obviously erroneous as evidenced by their collection date. Reports from the Republic of Chuvashia were already earlier acknowledged as incorrect by Margarita Gafurova in the “Flora of Chuvashia”.

Genus Melilotus in the flora of Russia and adjacent countries

Species from the genus Melilotus Mill. belong to the plant genetic resources, which have value as forage, medicinal, and melliferous crops, and can be used for soil improvement, as a source of coumarins in the perfume industry, etc. The paper presents a taxonomic review of the genus Melilotus for the territory of Russia and neighboring countries, including synonymy and taxonomy, morphological, brief ecological and geographical characteristics of the species. By analyzing the morphological, ecological features and geography of distribution, the genus was taxonomically revised. In the considered territory, the genus numbers 13 species and two subgenera. A typical subgenus included three sections, two subsections, and three rows. A new subsection (Polonica) is described; new combinations in the Altissimae section, and two in the Dentatae and Wolgicae sections are proposed. The research was based on collections of the VIR herbarium (WIR), the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of RAS (LE), St. Petersburg State University (LECB), Moscow State University (MW), the N.V. Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden of RAS (MHA), etc., as well as on literary sources on the taxonomy of the genus Melilotus.

Screening of the Antimicrobial Potential of Aqueous Extracts of Some Plants Collected from the City of Narafominsk, Moscow, Russia

Background: The antimicrobial properties of medicinal plants, including those from Russian flora, can be a considerable asset in the fight against antibiotic resistance and the search for new antimicrobials. The present work aimed at assessing the antimicrobial properties of plants collected from the Narafominsk's flora, a city located on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia.
 Methods: The plants were collected from June to August 2021, the extraction was carried out with water as a solvent and the antimicrobial activity of the extracts was tested on 3 referenced microorganisms from the American Type Culture Collection (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231). We determined the inhibition diameters by the well diffusion method, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) & minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) by the microbroth dilution method.
 Results: A total of 59 samples from 33 plants were extracted and included 44.1% of leaves (n=26), 32.2% of flowers (n=19), 8.5% of barks (n=5), 5.1% of whole plant (n =3) and 1 stem and 1 root (1.7%). Inhibition diameters ranged from 0 to 28 mm, MICs and MBCs from 0.5< to >128 mg/ml. 69.49% (n=41) of the plants showed an inhibition diameter greater than zero (>0 mm) against S. aureus, 42.37% (n=25) against E. coli and only 23.72% (n=14) against C. albicans. The plant parts ranked in decrease order of antimicrobial activity were as follows: flower < bark < leaf < whole plant < root < stem < fruit. The plants having shown a noteworthy antimicrobial (MIC ≤0.5 mg/ml) activity against at least 1/3 microorganisms tested and which deserve to be investigated in depth were: flowers of Epilobium angustifolium, Spirea japonica, Heracleum mantegazzianum and Saponaria officinalis, bark of Picea abies and the whole plant extract of Rumex obtusifolius. The second group (1≤ MIC ≤ 4 mg/ml) of plants with no less worthy antimicrobial abilities were flowers of Angelica sylvestris, Arctium minus, Centaurea jacea, Convallaria majalis, Melampyrum nemorosum and Physocarpus opulifolius, leaf of Achillea millefolium and Heracleum mantegazzianum, and bark of Quesrcus robur.
 Conclusion: Flower extracts of Epilobium angustifolium, Spirea japonica, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Saponaria officinalis against are highly recommended for further studies since they presented the best MIC and inhibitions diameters.

Polygonum subaphyllum Sumnev. – a new species in the flora of Russia

Polygonum subaphyllum is reported here as a new species for the flora of Russia based on collections from several Siberian regions (Novosibirsk Region, Altai Territory, Trans-Baikal Territory and Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)) revealed among the materials of NS and KRAS. In Siberia, Polygonum subaphyllum grows in solonetzic steppes, on sands, on agricultural fields and along the roads. It belongs to Polygonum sect. Polygonum subsect. Patula (Polygonaceae). The key for identification of Siberian species of subsection Patula (P. subaphyllum, P. novoascanicum and P. patulum) is given.

MHA Herbarium: Collections of mosses from Yana-Indigirka Region, Yakutia, Russia.

BackgroundThe Skvortsov Herbarium of the Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences (MHA) in the 1945-1980s dealt with vascular plants and only scattered occasional collections of bryophytes and lichens were accumulated there without special arrangement. Since the late 1980s, the bryophyte studies in the MHA Herbarium became permanent and several projects were started since then, including the currently conducted “Moss Flora of Russia”. There are many white spots on the map of bryophyte exploration of Russia, but one of the most conspicuous was Yakutia, the largest administrative unit of Russia, covering 3,081,000 km2. Yana-Indigirka Region, originally defined as a floristic region, includes Verkhoyansky Range and some smaller adjacent mountain areas. It is the largest amongst the bryofloristic regions in Russia, but exploration of its territory, which is difficult to access, remains far from complete.New informationSeveral expeditions of the Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Main Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences in 2000-2018 yielded in many bryophyte specimens, partly published in a number of papers. This dataset comprehensively represents the diversity of mosses of the Region. It includes 7,738 records of moss specimens preserved in the MHA Herbarium.

NEW FINDINGS OF CAREX L. IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST

New finds in the Russian Far East species of Carex L. (C. atrofusca Schkuhr, C. enanderi Hultén, C. enervis C.A. Mey., C. heleonastes Ehrh., C. hepburnii Boott, C. krausei Boeckeler, C. leporina L.) are reported and taxonomic comments are given for some of them. Carex enanderi is first indicated for the flora of Russia, the rest of the species – as floristic novelties for a particular territory in the Russian Far East.

Contribution to the "Atlas of the Russian Flora": Twelve local floras of European Russia.

BackgroundThe purpose of this dataset is to deliver to a wider audience in the form of GBIF-mediated data vast floristic materials collected by the author across various localities of European Russia from 2001-2019 (Arkhangelsk, Tver, Vladimir, Tula, Lipetsk, Voronezh Oblasts, Krasnodar Krai, City of Moscow and Komi Republic). Taxonomic data on vascular plants for ten locations were mobilised from the papers and technical reports published in Russian and standardised. Floristic treatments for two locations (Yasnaya Polyana and Tsaritsyno) have never been published before.New informationThe newly-prepared dataset includes 5,309 species records, i.e. one species record per each local flora. These are either native or alien (fully naturalised and casual) species. All records within one local flora have the same centroid coordinates and coordinate uncertainty in metres. Floristic inventories from the following locations were mobilised: 01. Ustya, Arkhangelsk Oblast (543 species, 1,500 km2); 02. Zaseki, Tula Oblast (593 species, 60 km2); 03. Polibino, Lipetsk Oblast (553 species, 70 km2); 04. Khrenovoye, Voronezh Oblast (665 species, 200 km2); 05. Troyeruchitsa, Tver Oblast (501 species, 10 km2); 06. Man-Pupu-Ner, Komi Republic (182 species, ca. 300 km2); 07. Middle Lyaga, Komi Republic (143 species, ca. 300 km2); 08. Utrish, Krasnodar Krai (933 species, 195 km2); 09. Yasnaya Polyana, Tula Oblast (236 species, 2.2 km2); 10. Bogolyubovsky Lug, Vladimir Oblast (289 species, 1.7 km2); 11. Tsaritsyno, City of Moscow (359 species, 5.3 km2); 12. Patakino, Vladimir Oblast (312 species, 1.1 km2). According to the GBIF taxonomic backbone, the dataset covers 1,806 species, 669 genera and 127 families of tracheophytes.

Potentilla × angarensis Popov (Rosaceae Juss.) – a new taxon for the Oka-Don Lowland

A new locality of the taxon from the genus Potentilla, endemic to the flora of Russia and Kazakhstan, was discovered in Eastern Europe. Previously, P. × angarensis was recorded for the European part of Russia based on collections from Moscow Region and the Republic of Udmurtia. The paper reports the first record of this hybrid for the Oka-Don Lowland, which was found in the northeast of the Voronezh Region. The main morphological characters of the hybridogenic taxon, which distinguish it from closely related species, are listed. The general distribution of P. × angarensis is specified. An image of the herbarium specimen of the new record is presented.

Three new alien Chenopodiaceae species in the flora of Russia

Three new alien species of Chenopodiaceae s. str. (Amaranthaceae s. l.) are reported for the flora of Russia, the North American Chenopodiastrumsimplex and Australian Dysphania carinata and D. pumilio. The identification of the specimens of Chenopodiastrum simplex from Moschny Island in the Leningrad Region (European Russia) was confirmed using both morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Morphologically, C. simplex is very similar to C. badachschanicum having the same fruit and seed characters. A single specimen of Dysphania carinata from Primorye Territory (the Russian Far East) was previously identified as Chenopodium pumilio (≡ Dysphania pumilio) incorrectly. Only recently, the latter species has been indeed found in Beslan town, Republic of North Ossetia – Alania (the North Caucasus). For each species, the possible degree of naturalization is discussed.

Обзор таксономического состава семейства Dryopteridaceae птеридофлоры российского Дальнего Востока

The taxonomic composition of the Polypodiophyta of the Russian Far East was processed more than 30 years ago. There was a need to revise the taxonomic composition of this group of plants, the systematic position of its representative species, taking into account recent research. The taxonomic composition of the Dryopteridaceae family was specified. Dryopteridaceae is the largest family of Polypodiophyta in the flora of Russia and the Russian Far East. It showed that in the Russian Far East, the family is represented by 4 genera and 17 species.

Материалы к «Флоре России»: новая рубрика «Новостей систематики высших растений»

The editorial board of Novosti systematics of higher plants announces the introduction of a new rubric “Materials for the Flora of Russia”. The rubric publishes reviews of small families, genera and divisions of genera (subgenera, sections) for the entire territory of the Russian Federation. The minimum recommended number of species in the review is 10, the optimal one is 20–30. The language of publications is English (preferably) or Russian.

Features of the introduction of representatives of the genusInula L.

Representatives of the genus Inula are promising for introduction due to their wide range of uses. So, many species are ornamental plants, promising for introduction, including in urban landscaping. Several species are medicinal plants, and even though recently the chemical composition of certain species of this genus has been studied, it was evident that this work must be continued to maximize the study of the possibilities of this genus. The article discusses the experience of introducing representatives of the genus Inula in the Main Botanical Garden named after N.V. Tsitsin RAS in the aspect of general introduction work both in the gardens of the former USSR, Western Europe, and the USA. The fact states that only natural species found in the natural flora of the USSR prevailed in the botanical gardens of the countries of the former USSR. At the same time, East Asian and Iranian-Turanian species are representatively represents in foreign botanical gardens. For the Russian flora and neighboring countries (within the borders of the former USSR), 33 species have been recorded, of which 15 species have undergone an introduction study at the Russian Academy Science (RAS). For all species studied at the GBS RAS, the flowering time in the conditions of central Russia was analyzed, the possibilities of using it both for decorative and other purposes were indicated. According to literary sources, the analysis of the component composition of raw materials of 16 natural species found within this region was carried out.

"Flora of Russia" on iNaturalist: a dataset.

BackgroundThe "Flora of Russia" project on iNaturalist brought together professional scientists and amateur naturalists from all over the country. Over 10,000 people were involved in the data collection.New informationWithin 20 months, the participants accumulated 750,143 photo observations of 6,857 species of the Russian flora. This constitutes the largest dataset of open spatial data on the country’s biodiversity and a leading source of data on the current state of the national flora. About 87% of all project data, i.e. 652,285 observations, are available under free licences (CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-NC) and can be freely used in scientific, educational and environmental activities.