Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2025 number 4

Myricaria bracteata Royle and Myricaria longifolia (Willd.) Ehrenb. (Tamaricaceae) are herbal medicines in Mongolia, China and Russia (Siberia). M. bracteata was introduced into culture and it showed prospects for landscaping due to high winter hardiness, drought resistance and decorative properties. M. bracteata and M. longifolia leaves were reported to contain derivatives of 17 flavonoid aglycones, as well as ellagic acid and its derivatives. Principal component analysis of 10 populations of each of these species, based on 56 parameters of the phenolic composition of twigs, showed the high similarity between the species. The native populations of M. bracteata from Tajikistan and Khakassia, as well as native and cultivated populations of both species from Altai Republic exhibited the most significant differences from most samples in the composition of the analyzed components. Populations of M. longifolia of Altai origin were distinguished by the maximum content of the sum of phenolic compounds (up to 107.7 mg per 1 g of dry weight), hyperoside (18.1 mg/g) and quercitrin (2.8 mg/g). The composition of the exudative compounds of the twigs of the studied species was also characterized by a high similarity. Differences in the concentrations of compounds by year were revealed. The exudates exhibited higher antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ 34.2 и 42.2 μg/ml) compared to the extracts (IC₅₀ 110.7 and 172.2 μg/ml). Histochemical visualization showed the localization of phenolic compounds in the salt glands, vascular tissue and chlorenchyma in leaves and stems. The results uncover the high potential of native and cultured plants of the Siberian Myricaria species to be the sources of pharmacologically valuable compounds; in particular, in the phyllosphere of plants, which allows us to consider these species as elements of natural air purification and improvement of environmental air quality parameters.