African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12487

Full Length Research Paper

Phylogeny of Symphytum L. (Boraginaceae) with special emphasis on Turkish species

Burcu Tarıkahya Hacıoğlu1,2,3* and Sadık Erik2
1Central Research Institute for Field Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sehit Cem Ersever Cad. No: 9-11 Yenimahalle, Ankara, Turkey. 2Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, Beytepe 06800, Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey. 3Berlin Free University Biology Institute – Systematic Botany and Plantgeography - Altensteinstrasse 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.  
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 24 October 2011
  •  Published: 30 November 2011

Abstract

The genus Symphytum L. (Boraginaceae tribe Boraginae) comprises perennial mesophytic species. The distribution area of the genus is mainly Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean regions. The whole genus comprises approximately 40 species, of which Turkey holds the largest number with 18 species. Boissier (1897), Kusnetsov (1910), Bucknall (1913) and Pawlowski (1971) made subgeneric classifications within the genus Procopiania GuÅŸul. distributed in the Aegean archipelago, Southern Greece and Western Anatolia with three species. In 1967, Runemark includedProcopiania into Symphytum. However, Pawlowski (1972) did not follow Runemark’s combinations but treated the Greek species as Procopiania. Also, Wickens (1978) in his treatment of Turkish taxa completely synonymisedProcopiania with Symphytum. Therefore, to reinvestigate the sectional delimitation,a phylogenetic analysis was conducted using ITS total and trnL-F. Morphological analysis was performed by using cluster analyses. The results indicate monophyly, a single origin of Symphytum including Procopiania. The clades within the genus mostly coincided with sections proposed by former researchers. The proposal for the synonym of subspecies of S. asperum and S. sylvaticum were crosschecked and the species distribution to sections were revised with the help of both phylogenetical and morphological analyses, as well as the experience gathered while collecting live materials.

 

Key words: Symphytum, phylogeny, morphology, ITS total, trnL-F.