PECULIARITIES OF REPRODUCTION AND CONSORATIVE RELATIONS OF A PROSPECTIVE MEDICINAL PLANT OF THE SIBERIAN FLORA <i>PEDICULARIS SIBIRICA</i> VVED. IN THE SOUTH OF TOMSK REGION
The subject of the research was consortium relations and features of the reproductive biology of seed plant species, which are semi-parasites. The object of this study is Pedicularis sibirica, known in folk medicine as the “golden ear”, which is promising for the search for new sources of medicines. The peculiarity of the biology of the species is that it combines autotrophic nutrition with parasitism on other species of higher plants. The study used traditional methods of phenological and population studies, studying the characteristics of seed reproduction. Some aspects of seasonal development, reproduction and self-renewal, seed morphology and consortium relations of P. sibirica. In natural populations in the south of the Tomsk region are considered. The main conclusions are the following: the phenorhythmotype of P. sibirica is spring-summer-green, most adapted to the conditions of the southern taiga of Western Siberia. A rather high average real seed productivity of a generative shoot (659.9 seeds) and a seed yield of P. sibirica were found. The species in the cenopopulation is renewed by the seed method; individuals in the virginal ontogenetic state predominate. The potential for seed reproduction is realized only by 40.4 %, which is largely due to damage to the seeds by insects. Five species of higher plants have been identified, on which P. sibirica parasitizes. The study revealed the absence of strict species specificity in the choice of host plants. The results obtained are compared with the available data on seed productivity of closely related species of the genus, obtained in other regions. The presented results are notable for their significant novelty, since the available literature data on seed productivity and consortium relationships of P. sibirica were not found.