A Promising Ornamental Species: Galanthus elwesii Hook.f. in the South-Ural Botanical Garden-Institute of Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Elwes’ snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii Hook.f.) is a valuable bulbous perennial ornamental plant with elegant white fl owers, making it popular and grown in many countries. It is listed in the Red Data Books of Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine and is included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The study aimed to investigate the seasonal growth and development rhythms, biomorphological parameters, and assess the success of introduction and ornamental potential of the rare species G. elwesii in the South-Ural Botanical Garden-Institute of Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, located in the Republic of Bash kortostan. The experiment was conducted under cultivation conditions from 2019 to 2024. The infl uence of the hydro thermal coeffi cient on certain morphological characteristics, phenology, and the level of individual variability was exam ined. Ornamental value and introduction success were evaluated. The individual variability level of biometric parameters ranged from 0.0 % (number of leaves in 2019-2023) to 37.9 % (plant height in 2024). One-way analysis of variance for interannual variability showed that climatic conditions during the growing season signifi cantly infl uenced all studied morphometric parameters except for the number of leaves. The strongest infl uence of this factor was observed on plant height, fl ower diameter, and leaf length (variance contribution ranging from 0.0002 % to 72.3 %). Throughout the study period, a direct positive correlation was established among the studied traits. A weak negative correlation was found be tween the hydrothermal coeffi cient and stem thickness, as well as between fl ower height and diameter. The most favorable growing seasons for G. elwesii were 2021 and 2024, where the key factors were precipitation volume and the number of clear days, with the sum of active temperatures exceeding 81.9 °C. The optimal sum of eff ective mean daily temperatures (90.1-140.7 °C) under local climatic conditions was identifi ed, ensuring the maximum fl owering duration of G. elwesii at 13–18 days. Due to its high ornamental value and successful introduction, G. elwesii is considered a promising species for urban greening in the Bashkir Pre-Urals.