ECOLOGY AND BIOLOGY OF THE GENUS CEPHALANTHERA RICH. IN THE NORTH-WESTERN CAUCASUS

Perebora Elena Alexandrovna

The article presents the results of long-term observations of the cenopopulations of species of the genus Cephalanthera: C. longifolia, C. damasonium, C. rubra, C. floribunda in the North-Western Caucasus. Monitoring has been carried out for a long time since the 90s using standard methods of following in geobotany: route-expedition with the establishment of trial and accounting sites; geobotanical de-scriptions of habitats, seasonal records of plant morphology and development and age dynamics of cenopopulations of the studied species of the genus. The ranges of cenopopulations were mapped down to the values of the loci of the most typical perennial individuals. Species of the genus Cephalanthera belong to short-rooted perennials, therefore they have a fairly wide distribution from the lower to upper mountain-forest belt, but they do not tolerate trampling and low temperatures on the soil in winter. In general, the cenopopulations of species of the genus can be assessed as normal incomplete with a predominance of genera-tive and virginal individuals. Taking into account the vulnerable status (VU) of species that react negatively to the anthropogenic impact, it is necessary to con-stantly monitor the state of populations of species of the genus Cephalanthera, which are listed in the Red Book of the Krasnodarsky Krai.

Keywords:Genus Cephalanthera, North-Western Caucasus, ecology, price populations, age group ratio, tree associations, habitats