The Vavilov Institute’s (VIR) contribution to the survey and study of Vavilovia formosa (Fabaceae)
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St Petersburg State University
Abstract
In the 1960s–1980s, the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, known worldwide as
VIR, organized a substantial series of studies dedicated to a Caucasian endemic,
the Pliocene relic Vavilovia formosa (Fabeae: Fabaceae). Those investigations
are little known to the scientific community, although, in fact, the priority right
for integrated research into this plant belongs to VIR. As a result of the cycle of
studies, the first ideas about the biology and ecology of the species, the manner
of its reproduction, its intraspecific diversity, the degree of crossability with
other members of the tribe, its karyotype and anatomy were developed. The
plants of V. formosa are not reproduced ex situ and their germplasm is absent
in the world’s gene banks. Therefore, collecting V. formosa plants in their hardto-
reach habitats in the mountains is always crucial for research purposes, so a
number of collecting expeditions were launched to the Greater Caucasus. The
data thus obtained are discussed in the context of modern achievements in
world science regarding this species.
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Vishnyakova, M. 2020. The Vavilov Institute’s (VIR) contribution to the survey and study of Vavilovia formosa (Fabaceae). Bio. Comm. 65(1): 28–40.