Orchids of Russia and Adjacent Countries

• Main Authors: Vakhrameeva, M.G., Tatarenko, I. V., Varlygina, T.I., Totosyan, G.K., Zagulskii, M.N.
• Format: Book
• Language: unknown
• Published: A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G. 2008
• Subjects: Hooker; Pacific; Sakhalin; Siberia
• Online Access: https://oro.open.ac.uk/35973/; http://www.nhbs.com/orchids_of_russia_and_adjacent_countries_tefno_159628.html

Family Orchidaceae is one of the most attractive among other plant taxa due to unusual and decorative flowers and peculiar biology. The great naturalist Charles Darwin wrote to his friend Joseph Hooker: "I was never more interested in any subject in my life than this of orchids" (cited in Nilsson, 1981). The authors of present book have been studying terrestrial orchids in different parts of the former USSR for about 30 years. We observed orchids in different climatic zones along the geographical range presented on this territory. For instance, we studied orchids in polar region in the Cola Peninsula, in temperate zone in Central Russia, Central Ukraine, and Baltic Sea coast territories, in Mediterranean climate in the Crimea and the Caucasus, in continental climate in Siberia and Central Asia, in moonsonic climate in the Far East of Russia. We collected orchids in different mountain areas: the Carpathians, the Mountain Crimea, the Caucasus, the Khibini, the Urals, the Kopet-Dagh, the Sikhote-Alin. We have visited islands in the Pacific Ocean: Sakhalin and the Kuriles, which have peculiar orchid flora. Orchids were found and observed on disturbed areas as well as in protected habitats in Nature Zapovedniks and National Parks. Numerous data on orchid ecology and biology were collected during those field trips. On the other hand, the long-term observations on orchid populations were conducted on the permanent experimental plots for many years. General results of our studies are presented here. Also we have placed special emphasis on including works of other researches written in Russian and Ukrainian languages otherwise inaccessible to many readers.