COLLECTION OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL PLANTS OF DONETSK BOTANICAL GARDEN: HISTORY OF CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The paper described the main stages of formation of tropical and subtropical plant collections at Donetsk Botanical Garden; there are some data on its modern taxonomic composition, development prospects and practical use. Today the collection fund is located in five thematic greenhouses with a total area of 2 660 m². According to the inventory for the year 2018, the collection is represented by 3 214 taxa, including 1 977 species, 602 intraspecific taxa, 635 cultivars and hybrids from 561 genera, 119 families, 45 orders and 6 classes. The collection includes about 600 taxa included in International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), associated with 7 categories of extinction risk, 172 species of these represented are in the endangered species block, which contributes to ex situ (outside the natural range) conservation of world flora species.