A karyological study of Asphodelus L. (Asphodelaceae) from the Western Mediterranean

The following aspects of Asphodelus karyology are analysed: base number, polyploidy, chromosome size, chromosome morphology, satellited chromosomes, structural heteromorphism, karyotype asymmetry and karyotype evolution. The base number 0 ×= 14 is common to all species except for A. refractus , which has the derived ×= 13. Three ploidy levels occur, often in the same species; diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid, with 2n = 28, 56 and 84. Chromosomes are generally small to medium-small, with the occasional presence of medium-large chromosomes. The most frequent chromosome types are metacentric of type m and submetacentric. Metacentric chromosomes of type M occur only in sections. Verineopsis, Verinea and Plagiasphodelus ; subtelocentric chromosomes occur only in sections Asphodelus and Plagiasphodelus. There is a wide variability in relation to the number of satellited chromosomes, relative to ploidy level. There are usually two to four in diploids, four to eight in tetraploids and usually six, exceptionally up to 12, in the hexaploid. Satellites are present on the shortest arm, exceptionally on the longest arm. There is a high degree of structural heteromorphism in practically all the species which affects satellited and non satellited chromosomes. Karyotype asymmetry is generally of type 2B. Inter-and intra-chromosomal differences are estimated by the A1 and A2 indexes. Both indices vary in the karyotype evolution of the genus, with a decrease of A1 and an increase of A2. The role of polyploidy, hybridization, asymmetry and decrease of chromosome size in the evolution of Asphodelus is discussed.