The Content of Ash Elements in the Above-Ground Organs of Some <i>Crataegus</i> (Rosaceae) Species

Abstract

Abstract—The study assessed the content of ash elements in the dry matter of fruits, flowers and leaves of 19 hawthorn (Crataegus L.) species. The plants from the collection of the Botanical Garden-Institute of the Volga State University of Technology (VSUT), the Mari El Republic, were studied. The content of eight elements was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. It is shown that ash and trace elements content is species-specific. The ash content in dry fruits is highest in C. flabellate (Bosc) K. Koch and C. macracantha Lodd., and lowest in C. × almaatensis Pojark. and C. altaica (Loud.) Lange. The highest content of Fe was found in C. pinnatifida Bunge, Mn – in C. flabellate (Bosc) K. Koch, Zn – in C. volgensis Pojark., C. maximowiczii C.K. Schneid. and C. nigra Waldst. et Kit., Cu – in C. volgensis Pojark., Ni, Sr and Co – in C. macracantha Lodd., Cd – in C. altaica (Loud.) Lange, C. macracantha Lodd., C. volgensis Pojark. Difference in the fruit elemental composition between hawthorn species may be due to the difference in proportion of pulp and seeds. The content of ash and mineral elements in hawthorn fruits varies depending on the growing season conditions. The content of Fe, Zn and Ni increases in years with warm and humid summers, while the content of Mn decreases, but the weather conditions of the growing season account for only 3.8 to 28.8% of the variance of values. In hawthorn, the concentration of trace elements essential for humans, especially Zn, is significantly higher in flowers, than in fruits, and, on the contrary, concentration of potentially toxic Sr is higher in fruits. In leaves, especially harvested in autumn, Sr content is tens of times higher than in fruits.