TAXONOMIC REVISIONAND ANATOMICAL STUDIES OF THE GENUS AEGILOPS L. (POACEAE) WITH SECTIONAL CONFIRMATION

Abstract

: Aegilops L. is a large genus of the tribe Triticeae , allied to the family Poaceae . It spreads in almost all temperate regions, mainly in the Mediterranean basin, Southwest and Central Asia. The goal of this study was to use morphometric and anatomical methodologies to reappraise the taxonomy of the genus Aegilops in Egypt. Clustering was applied to determine the relationship between seven studied species based on sectional delimitation. Results generated from principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation revealed the significance of morphometric and anatomical descriptors traits in the characterization and identification of Aegilops species. Heatmap analyses of combining morphological and anatomical data confirmed the sectional classification of the seven species.