Journal
ANNALS OF BOTANY
Volume 101, Issue 6, Pages 881-899Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcm294
Keywords
chromosome variation; crassula; crassula hunua; crassula ruamahanga; Crassulaceae; conservation; phylogenetics; new Zealand flora
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Background and Aims Crassula hunua and C. ruamahanga have been taxonomically controversial. Here their distinctiveness is assessed so that their taxonomic and conservation status can be clarified. + Methods Populations of these two species were analysed using morphological, chromosomal and DNA sequence data. Key Results It proved impossible to differentiate between these two species using 12 key morphological characters. Populations were found to be chromosomally variable with 11 different chromosome numbers ranging from 2n = 42 to 2n = 100. Meiotic behaviour and levels of pollen stainability were both variable. Phylogenetic analyses showed that differences exist in both nuclear and plastid DNA sequences between individual plants, sometimes from the same population. Conclusions The results suggest that these plants are a species complex that has evolved through interspecific hybridization and polyploidy. Their high levels of chromosomal and DNA sequence variation present a problem for their conservation.
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