Morphological variability of Colchicum laetum Steven (Colchidaceae) populations in the Lower Volga region and surrounding territories

Data on morphological variability of 13 populations of the species Colchicum laetum Steven, rare for the Russian Federation, in the territory of the Volgograd region, the Republic of Kalmykia and the Stavropol Territory are presented. A strong morphological variability of populations on the territory of the regions was noted both at the intra- and interpopulation level. Apparently, the heterogeneity of the environment in space, both significant and local, is well felt by plants of populations that adapt to this heterogeneity in different ways. However, the revealed change in the morphological parameters of C. laetum along the gradient of geographic coordinates indicates that, above all, weather and climatic factors determine the variability of morphological parameters in this species.