MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION OF FAGUS ORIENTALIS LIPSKY IN THE HYRCANIAN FORESTS OF IRAN

Fagus orientalis Lipsky is the most important tree species of the Hyrcanian Forests of Iran.For long time, forest residents throughout Hyrcanian Forests have traditionally recognized F. orientalis, considering the appearance (outlook) of trees, into two forms: black beech, and white beech. In this research, we tried to evaluate micro-morphological characteristics of leaf and pollen grains of black and white beeches in the Hyrcanian Forests. Our research showed that there are no significant differences in micro-morphological characters between white and black beeches.