The results of the introduction into cultivation of a rare relict species Allium hymenorhizum Ledeb. in the Altai Botanical Garden

Abstract

The article presents the results of an introductory study of three Allium hymenorhizum Ledeb. accessions from different ecological and geographical growth conditions in the Kazakhstan Altai of the East Kazakhstan region. Their phenology, biometric parameters, seed productivity, laboratory seed germination, and propagation methods were studied. According to seasonal development, A. hymenorhizum is a long-vegetating, summer- green species with forced winter dormancy. The duration of the flowering phase of individuals in the studied A. hymenorhizum accessions was 18.4–22.4 days with minor deviations from the average long-term indicator. According to flowering periods, the studied accessions belonged to summer-flowering plants. According to biomorphological characteristics, the accessions differed in the height of the generative shoot: the accession from subalpine South Altai was 92.45 ± 5.54 cm, the accession from mountain-forest West Altai was 85.46 ± 4.79 cm, and the accession from mountain-steppe Kalbinsky was 78.24 ± 10.52 cm. Variation in this trait was at a low and medium levels of 8.37 % — 15.69 %, which indicated the stability of the traitin accessions during growing period. Minor differences in the height and diameter of the inflorescence were also revealed; the form diversity of the inflorescence was found from spherical to oval-spherical. Seeds are formed in the accessions annually, ripen from mid-July to mid-August, and are characterized by morphological heterogeneity. Small seeds formed in the South Altai subalpine accession had the length of 3.3 ± 0.12 mm and the width of 1.4 ± 0.09 mm, large ones were found in the Kalbinsky mountain-steppe — 4.03 ± 0.09 mm and 1.84 ± 0.07 mm, respectively. The productivity coefficient of the inflorescence in A. hymenorhizum accessions introduced in the Altai Botanical Garden was from 29.56 % to 40.67 %, i.e. the potential for the formation of inflorescence seeds in the observed accessions was not fully realized. The mountain-forest accession from the Western Altai had the largest number of flowers, fruits, and seeds in the inflorescence. Accessions from the Southern and Kalbinsky Altai were similar to each other by these traits. Seeds of good quality were formed and demonstrated laboratory germination rates from 67.82 % to 76.52 % after six months of storage at the room temperature. The studied accessions of A. hymenorhizum were successfully reproduced vegetatively under introduction conditions. The species is promising for introduction into cultivation as an ornamental plant.