BIOSYSTEMATIC STUDY OF FUMARIA L. (PAPAVERACEAE) SPECIES IN IRAN

Fumaria (Papaveraceae) comprises 8 annual species with medicinal and weed importance in Iran. Numerical study of 40 accessions of 6 species of this genus in Iran was studied by using 38 qualitative and quantitative morphological features. Banding patterns of seed storage proteins using sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with extract of bulked seeds of some Fumaria species of Iran as: F. parviflora, F. vaillantii, F. asepala & F. indica has been studied. The results showed that despite morphological observations the two very similar and sympatric species, F. parviflora and F. vaillantii, are not closely related due to their SDS profiles. F. vaillantii showed more similarity in seed storage proteins to F. asepala and F. indica. The intermediate position for F. indica is in concordant with its proposed progenitor as: F. asepala and F. parviflora. Electophoretic results are compared with morphological studies.