The Content of Anthocyanins in Ornamental Plants of the Natural Flora of the Primorye Territory

The white-flowered forms of two herbaceous perennial species Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. and Primula patens (Turcz.) E. Busch have been identified in the flora of the Komarov Ussuri Nature Reserve (Primorsky Territory). In 2005—2024, long-term floristic monitoring was carried out in the protected area. It has shown that the cenopopulation of Corydalis buschii Nakai with white-flowered forms of all ontogenetic ages is stable and geographically expanding (from 4 to 25 m²). It has been established that plants of the light-colored form of Corydalis buschii bloom and bear fruit annually, simultaneously with plants with crimson-colored flowers typical for this species. Anthocyanins are an extensive group of plant pigments that give different colors to flower petals. These compounds are water-soluble pigments responsible for the red, purple, and blue coloration of plant organs. The content of anthocyanin in inflorescences of dark and light-colored forms of Asian vascular plant species Dictamnus dasycarpus, Corydalis buschii, Primula patens, Weigela praecox (Lemoine) Bailey was studied. A certain amount of anthocyanins was detected in the white-flowered forms of the studied species, so these color forms are not anthocyanin-free. The composition of anthocyanins in the light and dark-colored forms of Dictamnus dasycarpus, Primula patens and Corydalis buschii is the same, and the differences in flower color are determined by the quantitative difference in the amount of anthocyanins. There was no correlation between the accumulation of anthocyanins and the proximity of the growth of variously colored forms of Corydalis buschii. The anthocyanin content in dark-colored forms exceeds that of white-flowered forms, both in flowers and in photosynthetic organs. The total anthocyanins of dark-colored Corydalis buschii plants contain 5 compounds in the flowers, 4 compounds in the photosynthetic organs, of which 3 compounds are common to the plant as a whole. Qualitative changes in the contained set of pigments have been established for variously colored flowers of Weigela praecox, which may affect the color shades of the colored organs.

anthocyanins, pigments, white-flowered forms, vascular plants, Primorsky Territory