MORPHOMETRY AND PALYNOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE GENUS COUSINIA SECT. COUSINIA (ASTERACEAE) IN IRAN

Morphological and palynological studies were performed on 16 populations of 8 species of the genus Cousinia sect. Cousinia in Iran, using morphological and pollen characteristics. The ANOVA test showed significant difference for almost all quantitative characters indicating the use of such characters in species delimitation. Trees obtained from morphological characters separated populations of C. microcephala from the other species, while the populations of C. tabrisiana and C. chlorocephala show affinity to each other. The species of C. urumiensis, C. hamosa and C. tenuifolia show affinity to each other and form a separate subcluster and the populations of C. wilhelminae and C. seidlitzii join these species with some distance. However, palynological tree did not agree with morphology tree.