The Flowering Period and Biological Characteristics of Large-Leaved Alqor (<i>Mediasia macrophylla</i> Pimen) under Plantation Conditions
Abstract
Large-leaved alqor (Mediasia macrophylla Pimen) is both a medicinal and a spice plant and is well known among the population for its various therapeutic properties. Its aboveground parts are considered a fragrant raw material used in perfumery. Large-leaved alqor (Mediasia macrophylla Pimen) is a perennial medicinal and spice plant belonging to the Apiaceae family and occurs only in natural habitats. Due to its continuous utilization, the species’ role and abundance within phytocenoses have been gradually declining. When cultivated from seeds, Mediasia macrophylla Pimen flowers in the second year of the vegetation period. Depending on abiotic factors, the period from bud formation to flower opening takes an average of 20 - 22 days. In its natural distribution area, the petals of large-leaved alqor are whitish, whereas under plantation cultivation conditions they were observed to be yellow. The prolonged flowering phase is associated with abiotic factors and with the late formation of buds on annually formed generative shoots. During the study, the structure of the flower, the number of stamens and pistils, the mode of pollination, the diameter and height of buds and flowers, stem structure and stem diameter at different stages of the flowering phase, as well as physiological changes occurring in the flower and its other organs, were observed and recorded. Daily flowering rhythm and seasonal flowering rhythm were also monitored, and the results were documented. During observations of the daily flowering process, air temperature and relative humidity were measured using a psychrometer.