Systematic study of Paspalum (Poaceae) species in Iran

Paspalum is one the largest genera of Poaceae in tropical and subtropical habitats from sandy coastal zone to salt marshes. In Iran, there is only two species mainly distributed in southern coasts of the Caspian Sea. These are cold and flood resistant plants and are cultivated as turf grass. The flooding and drought caused some anatomical modifications in this genus. In this project, for the first time in Iran, Paspalum is studied morphologically, micro-morphologically and anatomically. Studies were done on 11 natural accessions by use of qualitative and quantitative features. Multivariate statistical analyses including principle component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis by WARD method were done. Leaf, lemma and palea studies by scanning electron microscope showed salt galnds on dorsal epidermis. Results of this study showed that selected morphological and anatomical features are capable of species separation.