GENETIC DIVERSITY OF TWO SPECIES ELEUTHEROCOCCUS MAXIM. ON THE NORTHERN LIMITS OF THEIR DISTRIBUTION. cpDNA NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM OF TWO SPECIES ELEUTHEROCOCCUS

The species Eleutherococcus senticosus and E. sessiliflorus belong to the relict family Araliaceae. The economic value of these species is determined by the presence of medicinal and melliferous properties, decorative qualities, food and other uses. Both species grow in small, fragmented populations. The main range of these species is located in the northern and middle parts of the Korea Peninsula and in the northeast of China. In Russia, E. sessiliflorus grows only in Primorye, in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory and in the southeast of the Amur Region. E. senticosus is distributed to the central part of the Khabarovsk Territory and in the south of Sakhalin Island. The issue of preserving the gene pool of valuable plants remains relevant, since logging, fires and the collection of medicinal raw materials lead to a decrease in their populations.