NUMERICAL TAXONOMIC STUDY OF THE IRANIAN SPECIES OF ALYSSUM L. BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The genus Alyssum L. belongs to the subtribe Alyssinae, tribe Alysseae and family Cruciferae (Brassicaceae). This genus is one of the largest genera of the family of Cruciferae in Iran, and seems to be the most problematic genus in which the boundary of certain species is not completely clear due to the polymorphism of morphological characters. The main objective of this research is to study the species of the genus Alyssum using numerical taxonomic methods. Thirty-three Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) belonging to the twenty-nine species of Alyssum L. from Iran were examined and scored for thirty-six qualitative characters having two or more states. This work is based on field and different herbarium samples. The data were analysed by UPGMA clustering method. The results of this study suggest that there are basically four sections (Meniocus, Odontarrhena, Alyssum and Psilonema) which can be grouped under two subgenera, namely subgenus Eualyssum and subgenus Meniocus. The results of cluster analysis were compared with the classification obtained by conventional methods and the relations among the taxa have been discussed