Open Access

ARTICLE

Cluster analysis of leaf macro- and micro- morphological characteristics of Vicia L. (Fabaceae) and their taxonomic implication

Abozeid A^1,2, Y Liu¹, J Liu¹, ZH Tang¹

1 Key Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, PR China.
2 Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-koom 32511, Egypt.
E-mails: annabozeid@yahoo.com, yangyang1990520@163.com, liujia19880906@163.com, tangzh@nefu.edu.cn

Address correspondence to: Prof. Zhonghua Tang, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2017, 86(all), 306-317. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2017.86.306

Abstract

The genus Vicia L. belongs to the tribe Vicieae of the Fabaceae family. The genus includes about 190 species, from which about 40 species have economic importance. Some of them are food crops, but more than a dozen are forage plants. In this study, leaves of Vicia species from China, USA and Argentina were examined using stereo-microscopy and light microscopy. We determined macro- and micro-morphological characteristics that could be of taxonomic use. Forty eight characteristics of each taxon were determined including petiole and tendril length; leaflets number, length, width, shape, apex, base; blade surface, trichome shape, type, base and length; stipules shape, base, length, width and surface. Cluster analysis of these characteristics was used to construct a phenogram illustrating the relationships between the studied taxa, and to build a key to identify Vicia species.

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Keywords

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