A comparative anatomical study on leaf and scape of Androsace taxa (Primulaceae): contribution to Androsace taxonomy

Abstract

In the present study, the leaf and scape anatomical features of ten Androsace taxa distributed in Türkiye were defined to contribute to plant identification. Hand sections from both the scape and leaf examined 43 anatomical characters. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were performed for the first time for Androsace. The results show that there are differences as well as similarities between Androsace species. It is noteworthy that Androsace artvinensis forms a separate main group with HCA. In addition, the fact that two of the five basic components are represented by a single variable according to the PCA results suggests that the anatomical characters examined are determinative for Androsace taxa.). In PCA, eigenvalues of PC1 (2.435), PC2 (1.749), PC3 (1.369), PC4 (1.223), and PC5 (1.006) were greater than 1.0. Cortex width, aerenchyma, arrangement of vascular bundles, and four-branched non-glandular hairs are among the important anatomical characteristics of the scape. Leaf cross-sectional shape, epidermis dimensions, glandular hair types, presence of five branched non-glandular hairs, stoma sizes, presence of crystals in the mesophyll, and types are among the qualitative and quantitative anatomical characteristics that attract attention in the leaf. This study examined almost all taxa of the genus Androsace distributed in Türkiye. The results will be important in finding new species among the examined taxa and revealing the anatomical features of the taxa for the first time. They will contribute to other studies on the genus.