Introduction of Ornamental Native Plants into Commercial Production in Croatia

Introduction of new ornamental crops into commercial production and mastering their production technology is an essential requirement for development of commercial horticulture. For Croatian floriculture industry, native ornamental species are especially interesting since they represent the unexploited source of great potential value. At the same time, commercial production of native ornamental plants can represent a way of ex situ conservation of endangered plant species. Ruscus hypoglossum L. is a native ornamental plant which is in Croatia under legal protection but is, nevertheless, exploited from the nature by florists. Even though the species is highly ornamental and there is a great demand for this species on the market, its use as a cut foliage or for planting in urban green areas is limited by, among other things, the non-existing domestic propagation and production. In order to prevent further devastation of natural habitats, the project of species protection through introduction into commercial cultivation was initiated. In this paper, aspects of evaluation and introduction of Croatian native plant species into commercial production will be illustrated on the example of Ruscus hypoglossum.