SIBERICA HAW. – VALUABLE ORNAMENTAL CULTIVATED IN EX- SITU CONDITIONS Tatiana Sîrbu, Pavel Pînzaru, Gorobei Tatiana Botanical Garden (I) of ASM

Keywords: Scilla siberica, extinct, ex-situ cultivation, development rate, propagation, use. Scilla siberica Haw. in: Andrews, 1804, Bot. Repos. 6: t. 365. () – Siberian squill or wood squill. The species was described by Haworth A. H., based on the cultivated by the author from the seeds received from P. Pallas from Volgograd Oblast (Tsaritsyn), Russia, but was published by Andrews H. C. [4,5]. In Bessarabia, it was indicated only by T. Săvulescu, T. Rayss (1924), for the forest near Leova, included later in the extinct category, for the Republic of Moldova [1]. In the Herbarium of the BG (I) of ASM and of other institutions, there are no specimens collected in the republic. In Romania, it is a rare species and is found in the districts Satu Mare and Constanţa [2]. As a rule, it grows in the forests and shrublands from the mountain areas of Eastern Europe, Crimea, Caucasus and Western Asia. This species is a xeromesophile, mesotherm and acid neutrophil [1, 4, 6]. It is a geophyte, which grows 10-20 cm tall. Subspherical . stalks – by (1) 2-4, erect, not branched, compressed. The leaves are linear, abruptly apiculate. The are bisexual, actinomorphic, campanulate, nutant, by 1-4 in . The perigonium is blue-azure, the 1-1.2 cm long. The fruit – globular . Blooms in March-April. 2n = 12. [1, 2, 4, 5]. The epithet of the species is misleading, because it is not native to Siberia. Nevertheless, it is considered as a priority, recognized and used today as S. siberica. In Crimea and Russia, Scilla siberica is a rare, endangered , which has been included in the regional red lists and red books [5]. In the collection of spring ephemerals of the Botanical Garden (I) of ASM, S. siberica has been cultivated for over 35 years. The present population comprises over 200 plants of different ages. About 70 plants bloom each year. The flowering stage lasts from 12.03 to 06.04, but varies depending on the climate conditions, especially temperature. S. siberica fructifies about 45 days. All the phenological phases occur in 60-70 days. The plants are characterized by a brief development rate: the beginning of growth (01.03); budding, emergence of the stalk with flower buds (08.03); beginning of flowering (15.03); full flowering (20.03-29.03); end of flowering (06.04); fruit development (20.03-15.05), which lasts the longest. Four phases of flower development have been highlighted: a) white-cream bud of 0.3-0.6 cm; b) bud with cream base and blue tip, 0.7-0.9 cm; c) blue-azure bud, 1.0-1.3 cm; d) mature flower – 1.3-1.7 cm. At the time when the first flowers open, the plants are 6-10 cm tall. By the end of flowering – 20-25 cm. A plant develops 2-4 stalks with 1-4 flowers grouped in . A plant can produce from 7 to 12 flowers.S. siberica produces few fruits (4-7 capsules per plant), but each capsule, about 1cm long, contains up to 30 seeds. Thus, if cultivated, Siberian squill propagates easily vegetatively, as well as by seeds. The small, black seeds are sown in soil immediately after ripening, because they quickly lose their germination capacity. The are almost spherical, dark brown, about 2-2.5 cm in diameter. The roots are whitish, 2-3 cm long. They can be transplanted both in spring and in autumn. This species prefers neutral soils and is incompatible with the highly acidic soils. It is recommended to plant it in sunny areas, but also under trees and shrubs. On rich soil, Siberian squills propagate even without human intervention for years, by bulbs, but also by seeds. S. siberica has been cultivated since the 18th century. Currently, many cultivars are created, the most popular: Spring Beauty, Alba etc. with pink, lilac, violet, white and cream flowers [3].S. siberica is used as ornamental plant on lawns, in gardens, in solitary groups or together with other bulbous plants, for example, species of Muscari, Ornithogalum, Crocus, Gagea etc. It is also recommended for rockeries, floral decorations, bouquets or cultivation in pots. We consider it appropriate to carry out a new floristic research in the forest near Leova, to determine the state of the plant population in this locality. At the same time, we propose the repatriation of S. siberica to the natural habitat. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Pânzaru P., Negru A., Izverschi T. Taxoni rari din flora Republicii Moldova. Chişinău, 2002, p.20. 2. Sârbu I., Ştefan N., Oprea A. Plante vasculare din România. Determinator ilustrat de teren. Bucureşti: ed. VictorBVictor, 2013, p. 986. 3. Şelaru E. Cultura florilor de grădină. Bucureşti: Ceres, 2007, p. 723-724. 4. Aбрамова Л. Н., Аврорин Н. А. Декоративные травянистые растения для открытого грунта. Т. 2. Ленинград: Наука, 1977, с.459. 5. http://redbooktula.ru/krasnaya-kniga/sosudistye-rasteniya/proleska-sibirskaya/ 6. http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/.

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