A revision of the two Rubus species, R. dolichocarpus Juz. and R. ochthodes Juz. in Iran

The genus Rubus L. belongs to the genus Rosaceae. This genus includes more than 750 species in the world. Among some species of this genus such as R. dolichocarpus Juz. And R. ochthodes Juz. Morphological similarity is observed in traits such as the number of leaflets, the shape of the earrings and the color and shape of the petals, which makes it difficult to identify these two closely related species. The species R. dolichocarpus in the flora of Iran is declared synonymous with the species R. ochthodes, while these two species in the flora of Iranica, the flora of Russia and the flora of Iran are two separate species in one subgenus and two different segments. For this purpose, in this study, the taxonomic relationships of these two species based on morphological characteristics were investigated. The results indicate differences in morphological traits such as the shape and condition of the annual stem, the shape of lateral leaflets in the flowering stem, the shape of the leaflets. And the density of flowers in the inflorescence. Also, according to molecular data using the ITS nuclear marker, these two species have 36 different nucleotides, which confirms the separation of the two species. Therefore, according to the results obtained in this study and comparison with previous studies, it is suggested that two species of R. dolichocarpus and R. ochthodes. According to the flora of Iranica, the flora of Russia and the flora of Iran should be defined as two separate species.