Picea plants diversity in Klaipėda University Botanic Garden

Abstract

In Klaipeda University Botanical Garden (KUBG) dendrological department grow 70 taxa of Picea plants – 18 species and 52 varieties. By the climatic conditions KUBG has a limited prevalence of Piceae plants. The average precipitation per year is from 149 to 86 mm, the average air temperature varies from -8 to +22 0C. The ordering of Picea seeds in LUBG started since 2003, in the period from 2003 to 2018 we made 65 requests from 19 botanic gardens (14 countries). Seeds germinated from 9 gardens only. Five of these Picea species were germinated and planted in collection: Picea koyamai Shiras, P. asperata Mast., P. wilsonii Mast., P. maximowiczii Regel ex Mast. and P. koraiensis Nakai. Distribution of ordering by the country was as follows: 3 from Lithuanian, 2 – from Poland and 1 – Czech Botanic gardens. Totally, the biggest number of seeds was ordered from Lithuanian botanic gardens – 24 times, but only 20% germinated from them. From the seed exchange, the seeds with good germination came from Canada, Romania and Lithuania. Since 1998 in our Index Seminum 14 taxa of Picea are included.