<i>Centaurea sumensis</i> Kalen. biomorphology from the perspective of species protection
The aim of our research was to study the features of structural organization and ontogeny of Centaurea sumensis Kalen. ontomorphogenesis (III category of protection in the Red Book of Kirov region, Middle Urals and other regions of Russia). We conducted our study in 2009-2014 in different areas: in plantations of 30-year old pines, in open areas under power lines, along roads and in some areas of pine forests of different types and age of the protected area "Medvedsky Bor" (Kirov Region). We studied and described the structure and development of individual plants from the point of ontogenetic structural and morphological approaches using comparative morphological and rhythmological methods. Environmental preferences of plants were evaluated according to known scales (LG Ramenskiy, DN Tsyganov, H Ellenberg and E Landolt). We found that C. sumensis is a Eurasian steppe species with a wide ecological range: mezobiont in relation to the salt regime of soils and luminance; stenobiont according to the following factors: temperature, aridity/humidity, oryoclimatic and humidity; monocentric short rhizome fixed vegetative plant with late specialized morphological disintegration and two types of shoots: long vegetative rosette forming a skeletal axis and vegetative-generative elongated annual; shoot formation model is monopodial rosette. We described three periods and nine developmental states in C. sumensis ontogenesis. We established that due to environmental conditions in plant ontomorphogenesis in various combinations phases alternate: primary vegetative rosette shoot or primary vegetative rosette skeletal axis; primary vegetative-generative rosette skeletal axis; primary bush from rosette vegetative or vegetative-generative skeletal axes; loose bush; compact clone; particula in the form of monopodium, rarely sympodium-monachasium from vegetative or vegetative-generative rosette skeletal axis. We identified the polyvariety of ontogeny and the dualism of C. sumensis life strategies: explerent on lit areas and specialized patient in the shade. To conserve C. sumensis in pine forests on sands in the north-eastern sector of the area we suggest maintaining a high luminance and preventing their transformation into spruce forests. It is consistent with general trends of conservation of steppe pine forests on the protected territory "Medvedsky Forest" and in other regions.