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Introduction study of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. was held in the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens in a subtropical climate of the Mediterranean type of the Southern Coast of the Crimea (SCC). Biological features of plant and seed development of the samples from different ecological and geographical conditions were identified. The samples of Silybum marianum from Donetsk Botanical Garden (No. 115) and natural populations of the SCC (No. 4715), which showed themselves to be earlier ripe, differ in the highest indicators of laboratory germination of 85-92%. A comparative analysis of the oil content of seeds and the fatty-acid profile of milk thistle oil showed that its maximum content in fruits (26.15%) and essential fatty linoleic acid (47.14%) accumulates in more full-weight seeds with a mass of 1000 pcs. – 27.4 ± 0.19 g. in Silybum marianum sample No. 4715. Sample No. 1515, introduced from Volgograd, is of interest in breeding work as a donor of oleic fatty acid (omega-9), which makes up the maximum values in oil (34.95%). It was found that the sample from Poland (No. 1715) is not promising for the SCC, since it is a later-maturing form of this crop, which requires additional moisture supply in a dry subtropical climate. Under equal experimental conditions, this sample was distinguished by the lowest indicators of all morpho-biological traits studied, including the qualitative features of seeds: minimum weight of 1000 pieces (23.1 ± 0.18 g), low germination energy (23-25%), laboratory and field germination (below 50%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]