In this study, a greenhouse experiment was carried out from April to July 2024 to assess the effectiveness of four ornamental plants in removing heavy metals from the polluted soil surrounding the Zenica steel mill in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The selected ornamental plants - blue mink (Ageratum houstonianum Mill.), marigold (Tagetes erecta L.), impatiens (Impatiens walleriana Hook. f.), and begonia (Begonia semperflorens - Cultorum Group) - demonstrated potential for addressing soil contamination. These plants were cultivated in grow bags filled with soil collected from different areas surrounding the Zenica steel mill. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Mn, and Fe) in both soil and plant samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The findings of this study reveal that soils adjacent to the Zenica steel mill are heavilycontaminated with Zn, Cd, and Pb and also contain notable levels of Mn and Fe. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were calculated to determine the potential of the selected ornamental plants to uptake and transport heavy metals from the soil to its aboveground parts. The BAF values for all heavy metals in all studied plant species were consistently below 1, indicating a limited capacity to remove heavy metals from the soil. This limited effectiveness can be attributed, among other factors, to the high pH levels of the tested soils. Despite the limitation, the findings revealed a significant difference in the plants’ capacity to uptake and accumulate heavy metal ions from the examined soils. Among the tested plants, blue mink demonstrated the highest ability to absorb Cu, Pb, Cr and Fe, while the highest concentrations of Zn and Cd were found in begonia

Abstract The photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant properties, and heavy metal content in Reseda lutea, Epilobium dodonaei, and Gentianella ciliata were examined in response to stress in the open pit of an abandoned iron mine. The soils were shallow, alkaline, and severely deficient in phosphorus, potassium, and humus. Heavy metal concentrations in the rhizospheres followed the order Fe > Mn > Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Cd for all three species, with Cu, Zn, and Pb exceeding the limits established by Bosnian legislation. The results indicated that the bioelements Cu, Zn, and Mn were within permissible limits set by FAO/WHO. Epilobium dodonaei acted as a Cd accumulator. The highest content of photosynthetic pigments was observed in this species. Positive correlations were detected between Cr and total phenolics, Cr and total flavonoids in E. dodonaei, Pb and total phenolic acids in G. ciliata. Negative correlations were noted between Zn and total phenolic acids in R. lutea, and Fe and total phenolics in E. dodonaei. Increased total proline and DPPH concentrations were associated with heightened Fe levels in E. dodonaei. These findings suggest that the species analyzed employ distinct defense mechanisms, enabling them to effectively adapt to stress. NOVELTY STATEMENT Three abundant plant species with different responses to the stress conditions of the abandoned iron mine were the focus. The analyzed biochemical-physiological parameters for all studied species on alkaline soils and, in general, for Gentianella ciliata are presented for the first time.

The accessible literature sources do not give an integrated register of non-native tree species in Bosnia and Herzegovina and western Balkans floras. Therefore, the focus of this study was on an inventory of allochthonous dendroflora in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) by 2023. Numerous literature sources, the herbarium collection of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SARA) and the authors' field investigations were used to create the allochthonous B&H dendroflora list. The inventory list comprises dendro species of trees, shrubs and lianas. The survey consists of 552 non-native dendro taxa, associated with family, geographic origin, residence time status, degree of naturalization, zone of resistance, and abundance of the investigated taxa. A total of 82 families, 208 genera, and 552 taxa, which included species level, subspecies, varieties, and hybrids were recorded. The B&H allochthonous dendroflora generally originate from Asia (260 taxa) and North America (128), with a significant share of hybrids (81). Only 19 archaeophytes were registered. According to the degree of naturalization, it was observed that as many as 451 taxa are casual and 13 invasive. The non-native dendro species in B&H mainly belong to the USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9, 5-9 and 6-9. The alien dendroflora of B&H includes 152 occasional, 142 rare, 198 abundant and only 60 taxa with massive abundance. The presented results give a detailed insight into the allochthonous dendroflora of B&H, which is also the first such presentation for the Western Balkans.

Cirsium (thistle) is one of the most taxonomically demanding genera within the Compositae. These taxonomic difficulties are hypothesized to result from limited morphological differentiation, incipient speciation and/or hybridization among taxa, and misinterpretations of faded and incomplete herbarium specimens. According to the latest data, the Dinarides and the Eastern Alps are inhabited by the endemic, diploid, newly described species Cirsium greimleri, which often occurs in sympatry with C. rivulare and C. erisithales. The area of the related, vicarious, tetraploid, and endemic species C. waldsteinii is limited to the southeastern Carpathians. Considering that the new knowledge refutes the existence of C. waldsteinii in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was necessary to review all C. waldsteinii data discovered so far in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results obtained from the distribution of the species, the predictive modelling of its ecological niche, and the analysis of the genome size confirmed the existence of the species C. greimleri in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its potential hybridization. This study indicates the need for further research into the sympatry of C. greimleri and its relatives, as well as the essential taxonomic revision of this complex.

The floristic composition and ecological characteristics of the area where honey grazing is carried out directly define the botanical origin as well as the physical and chemical properties of honey. The goal of this research was to determine the potential of woody and shrubby plant species in the apiflora from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) based on the qualitative-quantitative palynological analysis of honey samples. In the research, 100 different types of honey samples from B&H were collected and analyzed. The melissopalinological preparations were prepared and analyzed in accordance with the Rulebook on methods for the control of honey and other bee products of B&H, as well as the methods proposed by ICBB. After the melissopalinological analysis, 25 plant families with a total of 30,000 pollen grains were identified, of which 16 were woody or shrubby plants with 18,126 pollen grains in the preparations. In the research, the most presented honey-bearing woody plants were: black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), chestnut (Castanea sativa) and linden (Tilia sp.). Each analyzed palynological profile represented a unique combination of pollen from honey-bearing plants, as a specific biological imprint of the place of honey grazing.

Cotoneaster integerrimus represents a multiploid and facultative apomictic system of widely distributed mountain populations. We used flow cytometry to determine genome size, ploidy level, and reproduction mode variation of the Balkan populations, supplemented by analysis of nuclear microsatellites in order to address: (i) geographic distribution and variation of cytotypes among the populations; (ii) variation of reproduction mode and the frequency of sexuality; (iii) pathways of endosperm formation among the sampled polyploids and their endosperm balance requirements; (iv) genotypic diversity and geographic distribution of clonal lineages of polyploids. The prevalence of apomictic tetraploid cytotype followed by sexual diploids and extremely rare triploids was demonstrated. This prevalence of tetraploids affected the populations’ structure composed from clonal genotypes with varying proportions. The co-occurrence of diploids and tetraploids generated higher cytotype, reproductive mode, and genotypic diversity, but mixed-ploidy sites were extremely rare. The endosperm imbalance facilitates the development and the occurrence of intermediate triploids in mixed-ploidy populations, but also different tetraploid lineages elsewhere with unbalanced endosperm. All these results showed that the South European populations of C. integerrimus have higher levels of cytotype and reproductive diversity compared to the Central European ones. Therefore, the South European populations can be considered as a potential reservoir of regional and global diversity for this species.

In this study, the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the hydrodistilled essential oil of Achillea lingulata, an endemic species of the Euro-Mediterranean region, originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was investigated for the first time. For comparison, an analysis of the essential oil of the widely distributed Achillea millefolium, which grows together in the same habitat, was made. Ninety-six components were identified in A. lingulata and A. millefolium oils comprising 97.8% and 85.8%, of the total oil, respectively. The oil of A. lingulata was characterized by a high content of oxygenated monoterpenes (76.8%). The main compounds were borneol (30.1%), trans-verbenol (15.5%), 2-tridecanone (12.2%), fragranol (8.3%), and myrtenol (7.9%). In contrast, essential oil of A. millefolium had oxygenated sesquiterpenes (60.8%) as the most abundant compounds, with elemol (32.9%) as the main constituent. In addition, γ-eudesmol (12.9%), caryophyllene oxide (7.7%), transcaryophyllene (5.7%) and γ-muurolene (4.7%) were present in a significant percentage in A. millefolium oil. Antioxidant activity was tested by three methods, ABTS, DPPH and FRAP, and the obtained results showed low activity of both investigated oils.