To Matvienko A.M., Procudin Y.N., famous Scientists and Teachers who first encouraged my interest in this kind of thing
In memory of Dobrochayeva D.N., dr. biol. sc., prof. and
Kondratuk E. N., academ. - my dear teachers and my first instructors
ПОСВЯЩАЕТСЯ выдающимся
Учёным и Учителям -
Матвиенко А.М., Прокудину Ю.Н.,
Доброчаевой Д.Н.,
академику Кондратюку Е.Н
Foreword
Modern world changes swiftly before our eyes. This is the result of people"s activity, at times very destructive, the consequences of which are very difficult to predict.
Anthropogenic affect on nature results in avalanche-like corruption of ecology, flora and fauna devastation, local and global changes of atmosphere and climate as a whole.
Of great importance is the fact that vast monitoring carried out by means of floristic investigations is able to help mankind in forecasting and, if possible, in changing its future for the better.
Best results, as a rule, are achieved at the junction of different sciences. And today pharmacologists" attention is attracted by almost inexhaustible resources of alien or adventitious species which behave rather aggressively to the aboriginal flora, instantly (if historically measured) spreading over and over new territories. They, as a rule, are a unique source (depot) of biologically active substances, that can find a wide application in pharmaceutical industry.
Good examples are well-known plants like Plantago major L. (this plantain is an alien or adventitious for the North America), koodzu (one of East Asia grapes occupeid south states of USA), Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski (couch-grass), Polygonum aviculare L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.(species of Ambrosia are an alien for the Europe).
The monograph is the result of many years thorough and close study of Kharkiv and its environs flora in recent times. Herbariums that had been gathered in 1900 - 2000 by the author were studied as well as works in botany concerning Kharkiv and its environs flora. This made it possible to study flora dynamics and its changes for the centuries that have passed.
The monograph develops the teaching of urban flora (the term was proposed by famous scientist R.I. Burda, dr. biol. sc., prof.). Also it brings together the most important information of Kharkiv urban flora which has already changed greatly. These changes testify indirectly of serious climate transformations (it becomes dry up and more continental). These changes are of vital importance today when global warming on the planet may result in raising world ocean level and this, in its turn, can bring flood of wide areas. World community is seriously anxious about the consequences of these changes.
Floristic list as the part of the monograph is made up according to A. Takhtadjan system; taxonomic units correspond to the charter "International Code of Botanical Nomenclature" (1980) and the Summary by S. Cherepanov. Ecological & biomorphological characteristics of species are based on the works by Belgard and Raunkier. For deeper analysis of alien species classifications done by R.I. Burda (1991) are used.