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The current paper presents some characteristics of the anatomy of vegetative organs (adventive root and leaf ) of Allium saxatile M. Bieb., a species rare in the Romanian flora, which have not been described before in the literature. Histo-anatomical studies performed on Allium saxatile plants sampled from three local populations identified in the Dobrogea area, complete already existing data from other species of this genus, and represent the beginning of future studies on ecological anatomy, taxonomy and ex situ conservation strategies. Some of the obtained results confirm data from literature, but additional observations have been made that show features not reported previously for any specie of the Allium genus, such as the presence of colenchymatized cells in the internal mesophyll at the lamina level; or the presence, at sheath level, of epidermal cells with uniformly lignified and thick walls.

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Chrysanthemum indicum L. (Dendranthema indicum (L.) Des Moul) became useful as herbs and curatives in different parts of the world. In the current study, the chemical profile of outdoor cultivated Chrysanthemum indicum ‘Avalone Red’ was investigated for polyphenolic acid derivatives, flavonoids, alantolactone and ursolic acid using thin layer chromatography(TLC). Total phenolic content was determined through a classical method and semiquantitative analyses of alantolactone were performed through the HPLC method. Morphological and yield parameters and the chemical profile of plants were registered in two different nutritional statuses (local and enriched soil conditions). The results indicate that the studiedcultivar is a potent source of phenolics and that the fertilisation increases the plant biosynthetic capacity for polyphenols (159.74 mg/100 g in leaves and 79.82 mg/100 g in flowers, in unfertilised plants, and 388.54 mg/100 g and 144.86 mg/100 g in leaves and flowers of fertilised plants, respectively, expressed as gallic acid equivalent value). The studied cultivar contains hyperoside (and other derivatives) and four main polyphenol carboxylic acids (including chlorogenic acid). Ursolic acid wasnot detected. The high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses confirmed the presence of alantolactone identified in TLC chromatogram. Moreover, the fertilised plant samples contain only traces of alantolactone compared to the unfertilised plants. Alantolactone is present in a small amount (less than 0.1 mg %) but its presence alerts to the potential allergenic effect of the plant. Besides their ornamental value, chrysanthemums can have a wide array of uses due to their high amounts of bioactive compounds.

The present study analyses the number of somatic chromosomes in plant species with ornamental value, in Romanian indigenous flora, Allium (A. flavum L., A. saxatile Bieb.) and Silene (S. compacta Fischer., S. supina M.Bieb.). The biological material was identified and harvested in the South-Eastern part of Dobrogea (Tulcea and Constanţa counties), area in the South-Eastern part of Romania, situated between the Danube and the Black Sea. Individuals from two populations of Allium flavum and Allium saxatile, respectively from Tulcea county (Turcoaia town) and Constanţa county (from Cheile Dobrogei) were analyzed. In the case of Silene compacta and Silene supina, plants of one population in Tulcea county, Turcoaia town, were used. The aim of the analysis was the quantification and comparison of the somatic chromosomes of plants from the same species but different populations, as is the case of the two Allium species, but also to relate them to results from specialty literature, reported by others. The chromosome number was determined in the roots of the small plants that were obtained from seeds collected in their natural habitat. Except the case of Silene supina species, where only diploid forms were identified (2n=24), when in specific literature tetraploid forms are mentioned (2n=48), found in other areas, all other analyzed taxa register similar data to that reported in other geographic regions. Respectively, 2n= 16 in the case of Allium flavum and Allium saxatile and 2n= 24 in the case of Silene compacta.