„Paeonia  peregrina“ Mill. – ethnobotany, seed dormancy and conservation aspects

Etnobotanika 6 (2026) (str. 173-191)

AUTOR(I) / AUTHOR(S):Kristina Stoycheva, Ekaterina Kozuharova

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46793/EtnBot26.173S

SAŽETAK / ABSTRACT:

Paeonia peregrina Mill. is a Balkan endemic species of ethnobotanical importance such as applications of the roots in treating menstrual disorders, gastrointestinal spasms, epilepsy, hysteria, kidney and bladder stones, inflammatory and liver diseases. P. peregrina propagation is limited by complex seed dormancy. This study evaluated several dormancy-breaking treatments applied to seeds collected from P. peregrina population in the vicinity of the town of Boboshevo, Bulgaria, including mechanical scarification, seed coat removal, and an untreated control. Germination trials were conducted in vitro over a six-month period. No successful germination was achieved in any treatment group. Seeds with removed coats produced transient radicles but rapidly developed fungal contamination, while scarification had no significant effect. These results confirm the presence of deep morphophysiological dormancy in P. peregrina seeds and indicate that simple mechanical treatments are insufficient to induce germination. The findings that reveal difficulties of seed propagation highlight the need for in situ conservation of this vulnerable species which has slow vegetative propagation.

KLJUČNE REČI / KEYWORDS:

Paeonia peregrina, seed dormancy, germination, scarification, ethnobotany, conservation biology, Balkan endemic species, morphophysiological dormancy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / PROJEKAT:

This work has been carried out in the framework of the Grant D226/2025; Project № 9675/28.11.2024 to Council of Medicinal Science at Medical University of Sofia.

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