CIRSIUM GENUS IN "ALEXANDRU BELDIE" HERBARIUM FROM "MARIN DRĂCEA" NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR FORESTRY

Cirsium Genus is well represented in "Alexandru Beldie" Herbarium by 60 species and numerous subspecies. The herbarium, hosted by "Marin Drăcea" National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry, also contains additional information for each sample, such as: the plants` harvesting places, harvesting dates and the name of specialists who have collected the sample. The present paper synthesizes, organizes and presents all the samples of Cirsium genus from this herbarium, taking into account different characteristics stored on plates. The obtained results were then rendered in graphic representations of harvesting periods, in a harvesting map and in a list of specialists who have collected the plants. The introduction contains a short description of the herbarium with the most representative genres, followed by a description of the method used for obtaining the systematization of the Cirsium genre. This was obtained by recording, for each sample, the number and drawer, the collection name, the specialist who collected the plant as well as the harvesting date and place. A conservation degree was also given from 1 to 4, where 1 means a very good conservation degree, and 4 is a very weak conservation degree. The most proliferous period for the herbarium`s development with Cirsium genus species was recorded between 1881-1900. A Cirsium pauciflorum Spr. plant is the oldest plant of this genus present in the herbarium and dates back to 1835, being collected from Călimani Mountains. Cirsium samples have been collected from all Europe with a focus on our country. The conclusions of the paper present interesting aspects regarding Cirsium genus samples from "Alexandru Beldie" Herbarium