Peculiarities of Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz growth in the field protective forest zones in the surroundings of Kyiv

During the research of naturalization of artificialfield protective forest zones we revealed the location of Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz, a rare plantspecies listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. It isa perennial herbaceous plant, 30–100 cm tall, hemicryptophyte, mesophyte, sciophyte. Peculiarities of its population growth, which withstands moderateanthropogenic load well, are given. The habitat ofEpipactis helleborine was found in a field protectiveforest zone aged 80–90 years of common oak (Quercus robur L.) within the Forest-Steppe zone on the surroundings of Kyiv. This population contains about 40 individuals of Epipactis helleborine, which are distributed on an area of 15×7 m. In the studied forest zone, the processes of acquiring natural features in artificially created tree plantations are actively taking place. The group includes a growing number of tree (Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus L., Acer platanoides L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Cerasus avium (L.) Moench) and shrub species (Swida sanquinea (L.) Opiz, Crataegus pseudokyrtostylа Klokov) plants, as well as a wide range of herbaceous plants. The latter reduces the participation of forest weeds (Chelidonium majus L., Urtica dioica L., Impatiens parviflora DC., Geum urbanum L., Galium aparine L., Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm., Solidago canadensis L.) and the number of species characteristic of deciduous forests (Carex muricata L., Poa nemoralis L., Galium odoratum (L.) Scop., Scrophularia nodosa L.) is growing. According to our research, the group belongs to the association Elytrigio repentis-Quercetum robori I. Solomakha etShevchyk 2020, which belongs to the alliance Sambuco nigrae-Quercion robori I. Solomakha et Shevchyk 2020 order Chelidonio-Robinietalia pseudoacaciae Jurko ex Hadač et Sofron 1980 class Robinietea Jurko ex Hadač et Sofron 1980.