Karyotype analysis of seven Iris species native to Iran

摘要

The first step in a breeding program is to be aware of the diversity of wild species. The present study was carried out to analyze the karyotypes of seven Iris species native to Iran. The chromosomes number were determined as Iris meda Stapf. 2n = 20, Iris reticulata M. Bieb. 2n = 20, Iris persica L. 2n = 38, Iris pseudocaucasica Grossh. 2n = 40, Iris pseudacorus L. 2n = 34, Iris acutiloba C. A. Mey. 2n = 42 and Iris reticulata M. Bieb var. cyanea. 2n = 30. These seven species revealed certain differences between their karyotypes principally in formula, total length and asymmetry level. The cluster analysis revealed that these groups exhibit a large diversity. The karyotype of Iris reticulata var. cyanea was similar to that of species in the Iris reticulata. Iris acutiloba and Iris pseudacorus appear to be very similar and placed very close to each other in a single cluster and thus can be used in hybridization program.