C-banding patterns in the AustralianBulbine (Liliaceae): The perennial group,B. bulbosa s. lato

C-banding studies support earlier evidence thatB. bulbosa, as a previously circumscribed, is heterogeneous, consisting of three distinct entities: (1) theB. bulbosa complex (B. bulbosa s. str.) at 4x (2n = 24), 8x (2n = 48) and 12x (2n = 72) ploidy levels, (2) the rock lily and (3) the Kroombit population (both 2n = 46). Each of these three main groups has a distinctive banding profile, though centromeric and telomeric dot bands, variably expressed, are common to all. In theB. bulbosa complex, substantial heterochromatin development, apart from bands associated with the NORs on chromosomes 1 L, 2 S and 3 L, occurs only at the terminal regions of the short arms of the large and middlesized acrocentric chromosomes, with considerable polymorphic and polytypic variation in the number and size of the heterochromatic blocks, especially at the 4x level. Queensland 8xB. bulbosa populations differ in having terminal heterochromatin, probably associated with NORs, on 11 S and 12 S, and in having some strong interstitial bands. The differences appear to correlate with attributes relating to flower morphology, and may have systematic significance. The karyotypes of rock lily and Kroombit are somewhat similar but the former has a characteristic C-band profile with multiple interstitial bands on chromosomes 1–5 and 7–9, whereas the latter has only one interstitial band on chromosome 9.First contribution of a series on cytoevolution in the AustralianBulbine. Two introductory papers in Austral. J. Bot.34 (2)     

A survey of C-band patterns in chromosomes ofLilium (Liliaceae)

C-band patterns are described for 20Lilium spp. distributed across six sections. All species have a similar basic karyotype (n = 12) but C-bands differ markedly between them. The patterns are characterized by a dispersed scattering of thin intercalary bands as well as centric and NOR bands. Only one species,L. canadense, shows a clear equilocal pattern with intercalary C-bands occurring proximally in all of the longer chromosome arms. Comparing species, similar patterns are revealed forL. regale andL. sulphureum, forL. formosanum andL. longiflorum (all in sect.Leucolirion) and to a lesser extent forL. hansonii, L. martagon, andL. tsingtauense (sect.Martagon). The pattern forL. henryi (previously classed in sect.Sinomartagon) matches those ofL. regale andL. sulphureum quite well and its transfer to sect.Leucolirion is proposed. This is consistent with results from interspecies hybrids betweenL. henryi andL. regale (and related species) which are reportedly fertile. No other clear similarities in C-band patterns were seen across species. It seems that C-band patterns change rapidly inLilium and hence their usefulness in classification will be restricted to identifying closely related species.Dedicated to Prof.D. G. Catcheside on the 80th anniversary of his birth.     

Quantitative analyses of C-banded karyotypes,and systematics in the cultivated species of theScilla siberica group (Liliaceae)

Quantified C-band karyograms are presented for the related speciesScilla siberica, S. mordakiae, S. ingridae, S. amoena, andS. mischtschenkoana. Chromosome structure, banding style, and heterochromatin characters suggest a systematic grouping of two more closely related species pairs:S. siberica andS. mordakiae, S. ingridae andS. amoena; they are part of a larger aggregate, well separated fromS. mischtschenkoana. Four different heterochromatin fractions can be recognized inS. siberica and its relatives, but only two inS. mischtschenkoana. C-bands do not replace, but they are added to euchromatin. The particular origin and history of the cultivatedS. amoena and the triploidS. siberica cv. Spring Beauty appear to be responsible for their karyotype constancy, but chromosome conservatism obviously is genuine inS. mischtschenkoana. The banding data support the systematic grouping proposed on a morphological basis, and provide additional evolutionary evidence.Evolution ofScilla and Related Genera, IV.     

Heterochromatic banding patterns in the chromosomes ofBrimeura (Liliaceae)

The two species of the genusBrimeura (Liliaceae),B. amethystina andB. fastigiata, show a strikingly disjunct geographical distribution. Both species have a bimodal chromosome complement, 2n = 28, which includes 10 large (L) and 18 small (S) chromosomes. Most of the L-chromosomes possess heterochromatic segments which show enhanced quinacrine fluorescence. The resulting banding patterns are species-specific. Two triploid plants have been found inB. fastigiata.     

C-banding inLiriodendron tulipifera (Magnoliaceae): Some karyological and systematic implications

InLiriodendron tulipifera the Giemsa C-banding pattern differs remarkably from the distribution of condensed chromatin in prophase as revealed by conventional methods. The nature of proximal bands in metaphase chromosomes is interpreted to be different from the terminal ones. A comparison ofLiriodendron with some C-banded karyotypes of ± related taxa indicates a relatively high degree of karyomorphological differentiation in some woodyPolycarpicae. This has to be considered in karyosystematic comparisons.     

DNA contents,giemsa banding,and systematics inScilla bifolia,S. drunensis,andS. vindobonensis (Liliaceae)

DNA contents have been determined cytophotometrically in the three Central European, relatedScilla speciesS. bifolia (2n = 18, 2 x, 1 C = 6.2 pg),S. drunensis (2n = 36, 4 x, 1 C = 12.8 pg), andS. vindobonensis (2n = 18, 2 x, 1 C = 9.4 pg). The tetraploid speciesS. drunensis contains twice as much DNA as the diploidS. bifolia. However, the diploid speciesS. vindobonensis differs in DNA content fromS. bifolia by a factor of about 1.5. This difference is largely due to euchromatic DNA, although the higher DNA content inS. vindobonensis is combined with higher heterochromatin content. The data indicate thatS. bifolia andS. drunensis on the one hand, andS. vindobonensis on the other hand are phyletically well separated. Previous taxonomic conclusions from morphology as well as C-banding are thus corroborated.Evolution ofScilla and Related Genera, V.     

Giemsa karyotypes and their evolutionary significance inScilla bifolia,S. drunensis,andS. vindobonensis (Liliaceae)

Quantitatively evaluated C-banded and conventional karyograms are presented for the related speciesScilla bifolia subsp.danubialis Speta,S. drunensis (Speta)Speta, andS. vindobonensis Speta. On the basis of banding patterns and karyotype structureS. bifolia subsp.danubialis (2n = 18, 2×) andS. drunensis (2n = 36, 4×) are quite similar, whileS. vindobonensis (2n = 18, 2×) is entirely different. There is a moderate degree of karyotypic variation withinS. bifolia subsp.danubialis andS. drunensis. However, inS. vindobonensis karyotypes and banding patterns are almost completely stable over a geographical range of about 500 km. The present results confirm the recent taxonomic separation ofS. vindobonensis fromS. bifolia, and suggest a considerable phylogenetic distance between these two diploid species. The results are discussed with reference to the morphological characters of the species and their geographical distribution.Evolution ofScilla and Related Genera, II.Dedicated to Univ.-Prof. Dr.Elisabeth Tschermak-Woess on the occasion of her 60th birthday.     

Nuclear DNA and heterochromatin contents in theScilla hohenackeri group,S. persica,andPuschkinia scilloides (Liliaceae)

DNA contents (presented as 1C-values) have been determined cytophotometrically in 7 species of theScilla hohenackeri group (10.18 to 22.71 pg), and in the systematically more isolated taxaS. persica (21.02 pg) andPuschkinia scilloides (6.80 pg). The heterochromatin amount is not correlated with the nuclear DNA content. Euchromatin, therefore, is not a particularly conservative part of the genome. However, high C-values and large but few terminal heterochromatin bands, and lower C-values and numerous but smaller heterochromatin bands are found to be linked in theS. hohenackeri group. Obviously, numerous chromosomal changes have accompanied speciation in this group. DNA contents, and C-banded karyotypes are consistent with systematic affinities based on morphological similarities.Evolution ofScilla and Related Genera, III.     

Random arrangement of chromosomes inUvularia (Liliaceae)

Chromosome arrangement in interphase has been inferred from an analysis of the relative positions of the chromosomes and the chromosome arms in untreated haploid pollen grain metaphases ofUvularia grandiflora. The distances between centromeres forming the smallest possible circle were measured in 43 metaphases. The relative positions of the chromosomes did not differ significantly from randomness. Neither did similar-sized chromosome arms show any tendency to be next to each other. The results thus disagree both with the hypothesis ofComings (1968) that each chromosome occupies a definite position in the interphase nucleus and with the claim ofBennett (1982) that similar-sized chromosome arms lie next to each other.     

Karyotype and C-banding inTrigonella sectionFoenumgraecum (Fabaceae)

The six species of the sectionFoenum-graecum ofTrigonella have the same chromosome number, 2n = 16.T. gladiata andT. cariensis have fairly symmetrical karyotypes, while those ofT. foenum-graecum, T. berythea, T. macrorrhyncha andT. cassia are asymmetrical. C-bands are present in all six species but the number of bands and their positive vary considerably among the species. The karyotype evidence suggests that none of the available species of theFoenum-graecum section can be considered as the wild progenitor of fenugreek.     

Heterochromatin and chromosome variation in cultivated species ofTulipa subg.Eriostemones (Liliaceae)

The chromosomes of several cultivatedTulipa species belonging to the subg.Eriostemones were examined using conventional staining and C-banding techniques. Most of the species have lightly banded chromosomes with heterochromatin content varying from nil to about 15%. The banding patterns of several taxa are described and discussed in regard to species relationships.     

Heterochromatin and chromosome variation in cultivated species ofTulipa subg.Leiostemones (Liliaceae)

The chromosomes of several cultivatedTulipa species of subg.Leiostemones were examined in conventionally stained and C-banded preparations. The heterochromatin content varied from almost none to 45%. Several chromosome types were recognized with respect to chromosome morphology and heterochromatin distribution, and groups of species with common chromosome characteristics could be identified. These karyological relationships are discussed with respect to the groups formed on the basis of floral and bulb charateristics.     

A phenetic study ofFritillaria (Liliaceae) in Greece

40 population samples of 17 GreekFritillaria species were examined morphologically using 22 attributes carefully selected, with a high discriminating ability. Principal component analysis with a nearest neighbour directed network and cluster analysis were used to evaluate the phenetic similarities among the species. The evidence presented here suggests: (1) A close relationship betweenF. erhartii andF. obliqua and their possible origin fromF. bithynica. (2) A strong alliance betweenF. rixii, F. euboeica, F. carica, andF. drenovskii (groupF. sibthorpiana). (3) A link between theF. epirotica andF. graeca group and some affinities betweenF. pontica, F. gussichiae, andF. graeca. Finally it is proposed thatF. tuntasia be reduced to subspecific status asF. obliqua subsp.tuntasia. This study forms a part of a doctoral dissertation thesis submitted to the Department of Biology of the University of Thessaloniki.     

Variation and taxonomy ofFritillaria graeca (Liliaceae) in Greece

The geographic variation inFritillaria graeca, an endemic of Greece, is explored, using multivariate techniques. Eleven morphological features were measured in each of 630 individual plants from 38 localities throughout the range of the species.Scheffe's a posteriori test revealed an almost continuous geographic variation and did not identify groups clearly. Discriminant analysis of the groups derived from an F significance test ofMahalanobis distance resulted in five major groups on the first two discriminant axes representing the subspeciesgraeca, ionica, guicciardii, thessala and its var.othria. A diagnostic key to theF. graeca subspecies is provided.This paper is a part of a doctoral dissertation dealing withFritillaria in Greece, to be submitted to the department of Biology of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.     

B-Chromosomes inAllium flavum (Liliaceae) and some related species

B-Chromosomes ofAllium flavum, A. stamineum andA. carinatum were C-banded. InA. flavum different types of B's were found, one of them possessing a nucleolus organizer. In the B's ofA. flavum andA. stamineum the banding patterns resemble those found in the standard chromosomes. The B inA. carinatum is only terminally banded. InA. flavum chiasma localization in the B's appears to be dependent on C-band location, just as is the case in the A-chromosomes. An increase in B's was found to cause a small (but significant) increase in chiasma frequency in the PMC's. This may result from an alteration in the nucleotype by the B's.     

Intergeneric hybridization and C-banding patterns inHordelymus (Triticeae,Poaceae)

Crosses ofHordelymus europaeus (2n = 4x = 28) with four genera in theTriticeae were attempted. Adult hybrids were obtained in combinations withHordeum bogdanii (2x),Hordeum depressum (4x), andSecale cereale (2x). The meiotic pairing was very low in the hybrids withH. bogdanii andSecale cereale (0.12 and 0.30 chiasmata/cell, respectively), whereas high pairing (9.90 chiasmata/cell) was found in hybrids withH. depressum due to autosyndetic pairing ofH. depressum chromosomes. The chromosome complement ofHordelymus europaeus comprised 16 metacentrics, 8 submetacentrics, and 4 SAT-chromosomes. The Giemsa C-banding patterns of the chromosomes were characterized by small to minute bands at no preferential positions. It is hypothesized thatHordelymus europaeus may genomically be closest related toTaeniatherum andPsathyrostachys spp.     

Asphodelus tenuifolius andA. fistulosus (Liliaceae) are morphologically,genetically, and biologically different species

The biological analysis of six populations ofAsphodelus tenuifolius and 12 populations ofA. fistulosus has confirmed that they are separate species. Both their floral structures (length of the tepals, stamens, anthers and style) and also their pollen size are clearly different.A. tenuifolius has only the 2n = 28 chromosome race, whileA. fistulosus has 2n = 28 and 2n = 56.A. tenuifolius is genetically less variable thanA. fistulosus and they have different electrophoretic mobilities. Gene duplication phenomena exist in the 2n = 28 level of both species.     

Giemsa C-banded karyotypes and taxonomic relationships of some North AmericanAllium species and their relationship to Old World species (Liliaceae)

The somatic karyotypes of six North AmericanAllium species and the EuropeanA. scorzonerifolium have been investigated using a Giemsa C-banding technique. All species have a chromosome number of 2n = 14. InA. scorzonerifolium and the three North American speciesA. dichlamydeum, A. fibrillum andA. unifolium C-bands are restricted to two pairs of nucleolar chromosomes. Each chromosome has a band proximal to the nucleolar constriction and a positively banded satellite. InA. acuminatum, in addition to the bands associated with the nucleolar constrictions, all chromosomes also have pericentromeric bands.A. cernuum exhibits a distinctive banding style: two chromosome pairs with bands adjacent to the nucleolar constrictions and four pairs with telomeric bands on their short arms. In the karyotype ofA. geyeri neither C-bands nor nucleolar chromosomes were found.—A comparison of the banding styles together with other cytological and morphological characters of these species with old world members ofAllium reveals:A. cernuum closely resembles species within subgenusRhizirideum, whereas the other species studies exhibit many similarities with subgenusMolium. Their sectional grouping and their relationships with Old World species are discussed.     

Biosystematic studies inTulipa sect.Eriostemones (Liliaceae)

Evolutionary relationships and infra- and interspecific variability within the species ofTulipa sect.Eriostemones Boissier were studied. Measurements of 35 morphological characters were used for principal component and canonical variate analyses. Crossing experiments and chromosome counts were carried out. Two axes of morphological variation were encountered within the principal component plot. Variation of subsect.Biflores was traced along one axis, the species of subsect.Australes as well asSaxatiles were found along the other axis. The nomenclature of names of subsect.Biflores was considered on the basis of their geography, specific morphological characteristics and polyploidy. Conspecificity of names of all species was tested based on both morphology and crossability.     

Chloroplast DNA variation inAnemone s. lato (Ranunculaceae)

Chloroplast DNA of seven species belonging toAnemone (sectt.Omalocarpus, Anemonidium, andAnemonanthea),Hepatica, andPulsatilla have been analyzed by restriction enzymes. According to the dendrogram constructed, the sections ofAnemone and the generaHepatica andPulsatilla seem to be evolutionary approximately equidistant to each others. This supports the concept that these groups should be treated on a similar taxonomic level, either as genera or subgenera.