Features of introduction of Dactylorhiza fuchsii (Druce) Soó in the conditions of the Astana botanical garden

Abstract

This article presented the initial results of experimental work aimed at establishing an introduction population
from living specimens of Dactylorhiza fuchsii in the Astana Botanical Garden (ABG). In the flora of Central
Kazakhstan, there are 17 species from the family Orchidaceae, with only one species, Dactylorhiza fuchsii,
listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Propagation and cultivation of orchids under introduction conditions
for species conservation and potential reintroduction into their natural habitat have become increasingly relevant.
Knowledge of orchid habitats and their ecological preferences is essential for their proper conservation
and the development of introduction methods. As a result of a three-year study of the introduction of
Dactylorhiza fuchsii, it has been established that this population exhibits moderate survival rates of generative
and vegetative individuals. Over the results of three years, a total of 3 individuals were accounted for (21 %
of those initially planted). The age composition consists of two ontogenetic states: 2 individuals in the generative
(g) state and 1 in the vegetative (v) state. Ontogenetic states of Dactylorhiza fuchsii were determined
based on morphological characteristics of above-ground organs, including leaf number, size of the lower leaf,
and number of veins in it. Non-flowering individuals were categorized as generative.