Plants of the Gymnosperms (Gymnospermae) in the Greenhouse of the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden

The article presents the results of the gymnosperm plant cultivation in the greenhouses of the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute named after ON. Avrorina (PABSI) - the only botanical garden in Russia located beyond the Arctic Circle (Kirovsk, Murmansk Region). For 65 years (from 1954 to the present) 32 species and 11 varieties belonging to 17 genera of 7 families of the gymnosperms have been tested. Currently, the collection of gymnosperms includes 14 species and varieties of 11 genera of 6 families. The taxonomic composition of the studied plants of the Gymnospermae is presented. The characteristic of geographical distribution of plants and the types of morphological structure of their vegetative organs are presented. It is shown that in the PABSI Expositions gymnosperms represent three floristic kingdoms. Most of the plants in the collection are in a vegetative state. Cupressus sempervirens in greenhouse regularly produces seeds. The formation of a male strobil in Cycas revoluta was noted. Among the studied plants, 13 species are included in the list of rare plants of IUCN. The most vulnerable species have the following categories: 1. Endangered species - EN (Cycas circinalis, Dioon spinulosum, Ginkgo biloba, Metasequoia glyptostroboides), 2. Vulnerable species - VU (Araucaria heterophylla), 3. Species, in a state close to threatened - NT (Cycas revoluta, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Cryptomeria japonica).