Pseudorchis Albida (L.) Á. & D. Löve (Orchidaceae) in the Komi Republic: Population Structure and Seed Productivity

The results of studying some aspects of the population biology of the rare orchid Pseudorchis albida (L.) Á. & D. Löve on the territory of the Komi Republic (north-east of European Russia), where the southern border of its range passes. This species is included in the new edition of the Red Book of the Russian Federation, while its populations in Russia remain poorly studied. The article presents data on the number and structure of populations, morphometric features of plants and reproductive characteristics of the species. It was revealed that the morphometric parameters of P. albida vary slightly in its range. The number of populations in the region is 6-106 plants. The ontogenetic spectra of populations are right-sided, with a predominance of adult vegetative or generative individuals. Fruit set is high – 86.1%. The size of the seeds (0.43×0.17 mm) is smaller than in other parts of the range of this species. The seeds have a dense shell and a smaller volume of empty air space (48.8%) than the seeds of other orchid species in the region, which affects their volatility. The seed productivity is high, one fruit contains an average of 1717 ± 85 seeds, and the real seed productivity of the plant is 54544 seeds.