The phenomenon of modern speciation in botanical gardens

Since 2010, descriptions of 20 new forms and hybrids of woody plants have been published in the Hortus Botanicus journal, 7 have already been included in the International Plant Names Index. The origin of 19 samples was established: 6 of them are of natural origin; 3 were received from botanical gardens; 9 - from self-seeding or seeds collected in the collection of the Botanical Garden of Peter the Great (St. Petersburg) and one of them is a hybrid of artificial origin. Thus, almost 2/3 of the taxa described can be the product of spontaneous interspecific hybridization in the specific conditions of botanical gardens' collections, which confirms our assumptions about their significant role in the evolution and distribution of plants.