Document Type : Research paper
Authors
1 Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR), Gorgan, Iran
2 Genetic and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute of Tabarestan (GABIT), Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Sari, Iran
Abstract
Galanthus transcaucasicus is a less frequently known species with a high distribution in southern regions of the Caspian Sea in Iran. So far, no precise study has been done on Galanthus transcaucasicus in the literature. This study aimed to collect and introduce the morphological and anat omical features of endemic Galanthus transcaucasicus in detail. Herewit h, 50 Galanthus transcaucasicus accessions of five populations (10 randomly selected plants from each population) were collected from four provinces, including Mazandaran, Guilan, Golestan, and Ardabil, Iran. Twelve morphological traits and ten anatomical parameters were measured. The largest flowers were observed in Shirgah population (22.66 and 11.97mm for outer perianth-segments length and width). The tallest stems were recorded in the Shirgah population (243.89 mm). The largest bulb size belonged to the Neka population (19.92 and 14.08 mm of bulb length and diameter, respectively). Anatomical analysis showed that the cells on the lower (abaxial) epidermis were spherical and short. On the upper (adaxial) epidermis, however, they were oblong and strongly elongated. G. transcaucasicus had amphistomatous leaves. The number of stomata on the upper surface was less (0.16 to 0.6 per mm2) than that on the lower surface (3.77 to 9.51 per mm2). Anatomically, there was a significant difference between populations from different regions. The results of this study revealed low variability among G. transcaucasicus accessions, representative of one species’ clone-population structure. Therefore, it seems that the range of environmental conditions in which the species are distributed can play a role in the morphological and anatomical features of Iranian Galanthus transcaucasicus.
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