Taner Özcan

Cytotaxonomical study in five taxa of the genus Teucrium L. (Lamiaceae)

In this study, karyotypes of Teucrium sandrasicum O. Schwarz, T. brevifolium Schreb., T. divaricatum Sieber subsp. villosum (Celak.) Rech.f., T. flavum L. subsp. hellenicum Rech.f. and T. kotschyanum Poech taxa growing naturally in Turkey were determined. T. sandrasicum is endemic to Turkey. The squash method for preparation was used for chromosomal investigations. As a result, T. divaricatum subsp. villosum has a somatic chromosome number as 2n = 64 while T. flavum subsp. hellenicum and T. kotschyanum have 2n = 32 chromosomes and also T. sandrasicum and T. brevifolium have 2n = 30 chromosomes. The ideograms and detailed chromosome morphology measurements of the species were performed by the use of Image Analysis System (Bs200Pro). The research has made contribution to the taxonomic revision of the genus Teucrium in Turkey.

Comparative anatomical studies of some Teucrium sect. Teucrium species: Teucrium alyssifolium Stapf, Teucrium brevifolium Schreb. and Teucrium pestalozzae Boiss. (Lamiaceae)

Abstract Teucrium alyssifolium Stapf (endemic), Teucrium pestalozzae Boiss. (endemic) and Teucrium brevifolium Schreb. are three closely related taxa in Teucrium sect. Teucrium. The obtained data from the anatomical studies revealed that these three taxa represent the general anatomical characteristics of the Lamiaceae family. Leaves, anatomical features such as thick cuticle, abundant trichomes, rich palisade parenchyma layer in the mesophyll provide evidence that these three species are xeromorphic structures. Leaf and stem anatomy showed that the taxa have generally similar anatomical features. However, cuticle layers, epidermis cells size, indumentum density, mesophyll types, palisade parenchyma occupied in the mesophyll, presence of spherocrystals in leaves and parenchyma, collenchyma and sclerenchyma layers in stems show differences amongst the taxa. Anatomical characters of leaf and stem of these taxa are examined for the first time in this study.