Overview of the study of the genus Myricaria Desv. in Siberia

Lyakh, E.M. . Central Siberian Botanical Garden

Overview of the study of the genus Myricaria Desv. in Siberia

2013

Lyakh, E.M. (Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk (Russia). Central Siberian Botanical Garden)

Myricaria is a shrub. it grows on pebble, and rocky banks of the mountainous rivers in the southern regions of Siberia. The academician P.S. Pallas was the first who became interested in Myricaria plants when traveling in the mountains of South Siberia. C.L. Willdenow (1816), C.G. Ehrenberg (1827), A.A. Bunge (1835), K.J. Maximovich (1889), S.G. Gorshkova (1949) and other scientists studied the species of this genus. E.G. Bobrov (1967) made the first review of this genus. A detailed analysis of literature and herbarium specimens of the Siberian species of the genus Myricaria was performed. There is no consensus on taxonomy of Siberian species of this genus in botanical literature. Therefore, study of moot points in taxonomy of these species on the basis of an analysis of characters for treatment of the genus Myricaria is of great importance. The features are: size and shape of leaves, peculiarities of structure and size of inflorescences. The author collected plants in the southern Siberia: in the Altay Mountains, Tyva, Pribaikalye and Zabaikalye during expeditions from 1990 to 2006. Also we collected seeds and cuttings of species of Myricaria and grew up them in the nursery of the Laboratory of Dendrology, SB CSBG RAS. When studying of morphological features forming the basis for description of the species, it has been established that only two species: M. bracteata and M. longifolia, instead of four from the botanical literature, grow in Siberia. Differences in the biological peculiarities and areas also are characteristic of the two species. The author does the critical overview and offers system of the Siberian species of the genus Myricaria.

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