Biomorphological characteristics of the generative shoot and the content of flavonoids in the inflorescences of wild plants Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. in different populations of the middle taiga subzone of the Komi Republic

In the Komi Republic, meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim.) (Rosaceae) grows throughout the forest zone, although less frequently in the north. Comparative studies of meadowsweet plants were conducted in two natural populations in the Syktyvdinsky District of the Komi Republic in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The first population was a grass-forb meadow in the Sokolovka tract, and the second was a grass-forb meadow on the left bank of the Sysola River. Meadowsweet flowers were collected for biochemical studies annually in the first half of July, during the period of mass budding and the beginning of flowering. Ten generative, moderately developed shoots were also selected to characterize the morphological traits of the wild plants. In 2022, the number of generative shoots was counted in triplicate in the studied natural populations, and the flower yield per 1 m² was determined. It was found that only one form of meadowsweet, F. ulmaria var. denudata, grows in the grass-forb meadows of the studied populations. Its leaves are green on both sides and glabrous underneath. The morphological characteristics of the generative shoot in both studied populations were characterized by similar indicators. The apical inflorescence on the main shoot is 8–23 cm long, can branch up to the third or fourth order and form from 264 to 1400 flowers. It was noted that per 1 m² of dense thickets of F. ulmaria, the number of generative shoots can vary from 34 to 45. The flower yield of Filipendula ulmaria is 1,5–2,5 cm. The yield of F. ulmaria per 1 m² was 132–190 g of raw material and 38–54 g of air-dried phytomass. It was established that the total flavonoid content in the air-dried flowers of F. ulmaria, regardless of the weather conditions of the growing season, was high (4,3–7,8%) and was within the range of indicators for this group of biologically active substances (2,9–12,0%) in plants of natural populations of F. ulmaria in other regions of Russia. The search for and selection of the most productive populations of F. ulmaria in the middle taiga subzone of the Komi Republic is a reliable method for obtaining high-quality medicinal raw materials for the creation of new pharmaceuticals.