M.Sc. Tezi Görüntüleme

      With the present study, V. arctostaphylos L., V. myrtillus L., V. uliginosum L. and V. vitis-idaea L. taxa belonging to the genus Vaccinium L. which is naturally distributed in Turkey were examined for the first time in terms of leaf, fruit and seed morphology, palynological and molecular (ITS, trnLF and rbcL) properties. The emended descriptions of taxa were prepared based on reevaluated properties of leaf, flower, fruit and seed. Furthermore a revised dichotomous diagnostic key was prepared based on the reevaluated characters. While the leaf upper surface of V. arctostaphylos is like fiber-fluted, it is ruminate in V. myrtillus and V. uliginosum and bump-bubble in V. vitis-idaea. While the number of aeroles (vein islets) formed by secondary vein is 16-18 in V. arctostaphylos, it is 10-14 in V. myrtillus and 6-8 in V. uliginosum and V. vitis-idaea. In addition, surface of the pollens is verrucose in V. arctostaphylos, it is rugose in the rest investigated taxa. Seed shape of V. arctostaphylos vary from triangular, pentagonal to elliptical, whereas it is reniform or lunate in V. myrtillus, lunate in V. uliginosum and falcate in V. vitis-idaea. Numerical analysis shows that the leaf length, leaf width and number of teeth among the 29 morphological character and the tetrad axis, equatorial axis and polar length among the 11 palynological character were found to be distinctive in separating the investigated taxa. It was found that the data obtained from ITS and trnLF gene regions excepting rbcL are sufficient to delimit the investigated specimen at specific level and coincided with the previous studies.