Comprehensive assessment of the decorative value of Araliaceae Juss. woody species in the collection plantations of botanical gardens of Kyiv

Features of decorative plants within urban ecosystems can be used to create highly decorative plantings with a long-lasting aesthetic effect that interacts harmoniously with urban systems. The study aims to determine the degree of decorativeness of dendrosozoexotics of the family Araliaceae Juss. Represented in the collection plantations of botanical gardens in Kyiv. A comprehensive assessment of the decorative effect of 8 species of woody plants of the Araliaceae family was conducted. The results of the assessment of the degree of decorativeness of the studied plant species were presented, noting that 2 species have a high degree of decorativeness (Aralia. elata (Miq.) Seem. and Eleutherococcus lasiogyne (Harms) S.Y.Hu), 5 species are characterised by a high degree of decorativeness (Kalopanax septemlobus (Thunb.) Koidz, Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Maxim., Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus (Rupr. & Maxim.) S.Y. Hu, Eleutherococcus trifoliatus (L. f.) S.Y. Hu, Eleutherococcus wardii (W.W.Sm.) S.Y.Hu.) Mediocre decorativeness was noted in one species – Eleutherococcus sieboldianus (Makino) Koidz. The dynamics of seasonal decorativeness of dendrosozoan exotics of the family Araliaceae were analysed, determining a high degree of decorativeness in 87.5 % of the studied plant species. The peak of the decorative effect of dendrosozoexotics occurs in summer and lasts approximately 120 days (from 3 decades of May to 2 decades of September), which is associated with biological characteristics and phases of the ontogeny of introductions, in particular, long periods of flowering, fruit formation and ripening. The results obtained are the basis for optimising the species composition of urban and park plantations in megacities and increasing their decorative effect in an urban environment, accounting for the resistance of the studied plant species to anthropogenic load