ORNAMENTAL PLANTS FROM THE COMMELINACEAE AND PIPERACEAE FAMILIES EXISTING IN THE GREENHOUSES OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN "AL. BUIA" FROM CRAIOVA

Abstract

Greenhouses of the Botanical Garden "Al. Buia" in Craiova house a varied collection of plants, belonging to numerous families. In this paper, species from the families Commelinaceae and Piperaceae are presented.

The family Commelinaceae includes herbaceous plants, rarely lianas, native to tropical and temperate regions of the world, except Europe. In the greenhouse, this family is represented by ornamental species of the Callisia, Cyanotis and Tradescantia genera.

The family Piperaceae comprises herbaceous plants, subshrubs or lianas, rarely trees, with simple, entire leaves, with stipules, often succulent and with small, bisexual or unisexual flowers, grouped in spikes or spadix. They are plants that grow spontaneously in tropical or subtropical areas around the world, but the greatest diversity is found in the Americas in a wide range of habitats being distributed from the southern United States of America to Chile and Argentina. In the greenhouses of the Botanical Garden this family is represented by two genera: Piper and Peperomia. In addition to the decorative effect, numerous representatives of the Piperaceae family are used as a food ingredient (Piper longum, Piper nigrum, Peperomiapellucida) and in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of conditions: inflammatory diseases, gastrointestinal and respiratory tract disorders, acne, kidney diseases. Therefore, disseminating information about the existing ornamental plants in the greenhouses of the Botanic Gardens on the one hand supports their botanical value and on the other hand represents another step for environmental education.