Propagation of Transylvanian Endemic and Endangered Plant Species

Abstract

Climate change has already caused irreversible stock changes in species distributions in many parts of the world. Species are lost and disrupted because they are highly dependent on changes in temperature. The aim of the experiment is to develop cultivation techniques for wild perennial plants of ornamental value that are rare, protected or highly endangered, thus helping to maintain these plant populations while increasing the number of ornamental plants grown. As plant material we have collected the seeds of Achillea ptarmica, Achillea impatiens, Achillea x girgioensis, Allium obliquum, Silene zawadskii, Dianthus petraeus ssp. orbelicus, and Centaurea triumfettii in two different years. The collected seeds were sown in spring and autumn, alongside these the germination was determined also in Petri dishes. From our results could be determined that at the Caryophyllaceae family both genus seeds germinated reasonably good, in the case of the plants belonging to the Asteraceae family the seeds obtained different results, furthermore at the A. obliquum the germination was low. The present experiment offers the possibilities to multiply these endangered plant species, and to improve the impoverished genetic stock.