Life forms of Apiaceae in Central Russia

22 May 2015

Petrova, Svetlana

In this article the author describes life forms of Apiaceae spread in Central Russia; different biomorphological parameters are used. On the whole, the spectrum of life forms is not too large. Based on such features as life span, number of fruiting and structure of underground organs 14 biomorphological types were distinguished. Short rhizomatous polycarpic or monocarpic plants with a tap root or also adventive roots and a sympodial semirosette shoot system, di-polycyclic shoots are dominant. Vegetative mobility is weakly expressed: nearly 85 % of plants are monocentric. The main strategy of spreading is seed propagation. Life forms of many Apiaceae are labile: all possible transitions from perennial polycarpics to typical annuals and subsequent returns to perennial life style, not only in example of different species, but sometimes in a single species can be observed. Polyvariation is found also in plants morphology. The obtained data allowed to work out biomorphological diagnoses, analogies of systematical diagnoses, that can be applied in researches concerned systematics, ecology or economical use of studied taxa.

Doi
10.1111/njb.00808