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Scape anatomy and its systematic importance in the Allium stipitatum species complex (Amaryllidaceae)
Author(s) -
Khorasani Mina,
Mehrvarz Shahryar Saeidi,
Zarre Shahin
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
nordic journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.333
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1756-1051
pISSN - 0107-055X
DOI - 10.1111/njb.02008
Subject(s) - biology , amaryllidaceae , subgenus , scape , allium , botany , pith , taxonomy (biology)
Allium subg. Melanocrommyum is the second largest subgenus of Allium (Amaryllidaceae) and encompasses several taxonomically difficult groups. One of these is comprised of A . stipitatum and allies referrable to a vague number of sections, subsections and species. We investigated the anatomical characters of the scape in 12 species of this complex and its allies representing four recognized sections, viz Compactoprason , Megaloprason , Procerallium and Pseudoprason , and evaluated their systematic importance. The following features were found to be most informative for taxonomic classification of the complex at sectional and subsectional level: number of vascular bundles and their conforming rings, diameter of scape (or the cross‐sections), diameter of parenchymatous pith, thickness of sclerenchymatous ring and thickness of parenchymatous cortex. Statistical analyses (Kruskal‐Wallis, Anova and principal factor analysis) of 23 examined characters allow appropriate circumscription of species and sections in this species complex. In general, the results corroborate the conclusions from previous anatomical, morphological and molecular studies and phylogenetic reconstructions, but a few species are suggested to be reallocated among the sections.