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NUMERICAL TAXONOMY OF SPECIES IN ALLIUM SUBGENUS MOLIUM
Author(s) -
BADR A.,
ELKINGTON T. T.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1978.tb02646.x
Subject(s) - subgenus , subspecies , numerical taxonomy , biology , allium , taxon , dendrogram , taxonomy (biology) , botany , zoology , population , demography , sociology , genetic diversity
SUMMARY Numerical methods have been used to study the relationships between twenty‐two operational taxonomic units (O.T.U.'s) in Allium subgenus Molium Koch (Wendelbo). Data were obtained by investigating fifty‐five morphological and cytological characters and thirty‐one chemical characters, the latter being volatiles, mainly sulphides, derived from bulb tissue. The CLASP programme was used to produce a number of phenetic classifications firstly by hierarchical cluster analyses, the results being presented as dendrograms showing percentage similarities of O.T.U.'s and as minimum spanning trees (M.S.T.), and, secondly, by principal co‐ordinates analyses, the results being presented as vector plots. Three sets of classifications have been produced; the first employing the morphological and cytological characters on all twenty‐two O.T.U.'s, the second using chemical data on only fifteen O.T.U.'s and the third using all characters. The O.T.U.'s have been divided into six major groups as follows: (a) A. cernuum; (b) A. triquetrum and A. paradoxum; (c) A. oreophilum and A. oreophilum cv. Zwanenburg; (d) A. erdelii; (e) A. zebdanense, A. roseum, A. roseum var. bulbiferum, A. subvillosum, A. neapolitanum , two subspecies of A. trifoliatum and A. subhirsutum; (f) A. moly, A. scorzonerifolium, A. geyeri, A. unifolium, A. fibrillum, A. acuminatum and A. dichlamydeum. These groups and their subgroups are discussed in the light of biosystematic studies, particularly the ability of taxa to cross with others. The phenetic classifications produced are also compared with the previous taxonomic arrangements of the subgenus.