GERMAN ELECAMPANE (INULA GERMANICA L.) IN THE KABARDINO-BALKARIAN REPUBLIC: HABITAT AND PROTECTION ISSUES
The German elecampane (Inula germanica L.) on the territory of Kabardino-Balkarian Republic can be found in carbonate chernozems of the typical steppe zones. The confinement of the species to a certain phytocenotic environment is not established. The highest frequency of occurrence of the species is determined across habitats with a low proportion of rhizomatous and turf grasses. The recruitment factors of the cenopopulation of German elecampane in the steppe zone of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic are pasture digression of vegetation, erosion processes on the slopes, plowing, and livestock grazing. The creation of optimal conditions for vegetative and seed regeneration in the natural habitats, the formation of reserve populations in the culture, and the reintroduction of the species on the biotopical parameters of the habitat will contribute to the preservation of the genus Inula germanica L.