The Taxonomic Status of Medicago Sinskiae: Insights from Morphological and Molecular Data

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph. D. Student of Plant Systematic, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Science and Technology Branch, Ottawa, Canada

3 Research Professor, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization Tehran, Iran

4 Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Abstract
Medicago sinskiae is a poorly understood but fast-expanding species in western and southwestern Iran. The present study was performed to investigate its relationships with other taxa in the M. rigidula complex including M. constricta, and M. rigidula s.l. (including M. rigiduloides). The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were conducted on 29 morphological characters. The group was also examined based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. The morphological and genetic analyses indicated M. sinskiae (including both spiny and spineless variants) was a separate species, most closely related to M. rigidula and M. rigiduloides. The results also showed that the pod of this species had thornless and thorny varieties. Due to the distribution pattern and its presence in the collected samples, M. sinskiae is considered as a species with rapid expansion in the west and southwest of Iran.

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