Ontogeny of Codonopsis clematidea (Schrenk) C.B.Clarke in the mountain regions of Uzbekistan

Since ancient times, people have studied medicinal plants and used them to treat various diseases. One such medicinal plant is the species Codonopsis clematidea. This research presents the ontogenesis of Codonopsis clematidea (Schrenk) Clarke in three different years, spanning from 2021 to 2024. The results reveal that the latent period of Codonopsis clematidea (Schrenk) covers the period from seed maturation to germination. One of the characteristic features of the seedling stage is the maturation of the cotyledon leaves, which lasts 13–15 days. The juvenile stage begins with the appearance of the first true leaf, while the cotyledons remain active for 40–45 days, overlapping with the early juvenile stage. By the end of the season, the plant reaches 8.4–9.3 cm in height and has 8 leaves. In the second year, the plant enters the immature stage, characterized by the development of short lateral shoots from the leaf axils of the main stem. This stage lasts 100–110 days, the main stem is 7.5-8 cm long, and from the third year of its life, the plant has reached the virginal stage, which is marked by the development of lateral branches. At the end of the season, the height of the stems is 15.5-18.6 cm, the number of leaves is 14-16. Only 4-7% of the plants entered the generative period in the fifth year. In mid-June, the length of the main stems in 5-year-old plants reaches 35-40 cm and growth ceased.