Л. В. Хархота In the formation of scientific collections, their systematization is an important condition. Changes in the systematic position and nomenclature of individual species have been noted within the genus Cotoneaster Medik., as fixed in modern taxonomic electronic databases. As of January 1, 2026, the Cotoneaster collection in the Donetsk Botanical Garden includes 24 species. The taxonomic composition was verified, and the seasonal development rhythms and biomorphological features of the species were studied in 2020–2025. During the verification process, species names were checked against electronic nomenclature databases and archival materials of the Donetsk Botanical Garden. Phenological observations were performed according to standard methodology, with the budding phase considered as the beginning of the growing season and mass leaf fall taken as the end. Leaf and fruit parameters were measured with a caliper; fruit weight was determined using laboratory scales. The results showed that for 8 species, the names given when seed material was received were retained, although they are listed as synonyms in taxonomic databases (Catalogue of Life): C. allochrous Pojark., C. bilokonii Grevtsova, С. discolor Pojark., С. fangianus T.T. Yu, С. foveolatus Rehd. & E.H. Wilson, С. giraldii Flinck & B. Hylmö ex G. Klotz, С. insculptus Diels, С. lucidus Schltdl., С. shansiensis J. Fryer & B. Hylmö. Phenological observation data showed that Cotoneaster species begin the growing season in the second to third decades of March and continue until late October to early November. Shoot growth begins in the first half of May and ends no later than late August. The average flowering duration is 16±4 days. The earliest to flower were C. lucidus, C. megalocarpus, and C. russanovii – in early May; the majority of species (54%) – in the third decade of May. The earliest fruit ripening was recorded for C. nitens – late second decade of August; the latest – for C. dammeri, C. horizontalis, C. insculptus, and C. lindleyi – early October. Of the 24 Cotoneaster species in the collection, 22 species bloom and bear fruit regularly. All species show high drought tolerance. Annual shoot frost injury is observed in C. divaricatus (single shoots to the root collar, while others lose up to 20% of annual shoot length and C. dammeri (annual shoot tips). However, despite shoot frost injuries, both species keep their characteristic shape, annually bloom and bear fruit.
Научная статья 
морфобиологические особенности