Variation and evolution inLinum tenuifolium (Linaceae)
Authors:
Marc S. Nicholls
Affiliation:
(1) Botany Department, University of Reading, RG6 2AS Whiteknights, Reading, England, UK;(2) Present address: Institut für Systematische Botanik, Universität Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland
Abstract:
The phenetic variation inL. tenuifolium s.l. was assessed using multivariate analyses of 27 characters found to be variable within the species. These results are discussed and interpreted in the context of the reproductive biology, chromosome number and ecological responses of the taxa. Evidence suggests that both the self-compatible and tetraploid races were derived independently from a self-incompatible, diploid type. Although no taxonomic scheme is compatible with all of the evidence presented, the study supports a recent decision to recognize four taxa at subspecific level.