Morphometric and phylogenetic relationship of Arum L. in Iran

In this research Arum species investigated based on molecular and morphological traits in order to new classification from Iran.

Plant materials were collected from nature or were prepared from herbarium. Statistical analysis was performed on morphological characters of Arum L. species. 29 qualitative and quantitative morphological characters were evaluated. trnL-F as plastid marker is widely used to infer phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted by the Bayesian inference and maximum Parsimony methods.

Cluster analyses by ward method were classified the studied species based on morphological traits in three clusters. ClusterI included A. giganteum. ClusterII had A. conophaloides and A. viresence. ClusterIII divided in two groups: A. maculatum, A. kotschyi and A. korolkowii. Dendrogram of relationships was constructed by UPGMA, demonstrated four main clusters. A. maculatum and A. giganteum placed in separated clades. ClusterIII include two subclades: SubcladeI: A. conophaloides and subcladeII: A. virescence, A. korolkowii and A. kotschyi. Cladistics analysis of phylogenetic relationships indicated that all species constituted monophyletic group within Arae clade. A. maculatum was separated in different place. A. kotschyi and A. korolkowii with A. rupicola from gene bank were introduced as sister groups. Arum virescens, A. conophaloides and A. giganteum were separated from A. ruoicola. In general, the morphological and molecular results are consistent.