Karyological data of five autumn-flowering Crocus L. species from Iran
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36253/caryologia-3356Keywords:
chromosome number, crocuses, cytotaxonomy, idiogram, Iridaceae, karyotypeAbstract
Corms and herbarium vouchers of 23 accessions belonging to five autumn-flowering Crocus species were gathered from nine Iranian provinces. For the materials under investigation, chromosome numbers, karyotype formulas and idiograms were documented. Chromosome number of 2n = 12 is reported for the first time in C. archibaldiorum and in the studied accessions of C. speciosus aggregate. Also, 2n = 24 were found in C. caspius, 2n = 8 and 10 in C. damascenus, and 2n = 14 and 16 in C. haussknechtii. In the latter two species, variation in chromosome number was correlated with karyotypic differences. Notably, C. archibaldiorum (2n = 12) had a longer total haploid of chromosome length than C. caspius (2n = 24). On a distribution map, possible correlations between karyological data and geography were indicated. To quantify variation in karyotypes, three inter- and intra-asymmetric karyotypic parameters were estimated. Also, statistical analyses were performed on five karyotypic characters to infer karyological relationships. The members of section Crocus (only C. haussknechtii) and section Nudiscapus occupied distinct positions. Furthermore, at the species level, all accessions of the same species tended to group together. The remarkable karyotypic variation among the studied accessions of C. damascenus and C. haussknechtii supported the previous assumption that these taxa still include undescribed species. It is underlined that changes in chromosome number and structure have played an important role in the evolution of the genus Crocus.
Downloads
References
Advay M, Rukšāns J. 2024. A new Crocus species from series adamii from western Iran. Int Rock Gard. 172: 3-29.
Agayev YM. 2002. New features in karyotype structure and origin of saffron, Crocus sativus L. Cytol. 67(3): 245-252. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1508/cytologia.67.245
ArcGIS Desktop (ver. 10.7.1). 2019. Esri Inc. https://desktop.arcgis.com/en/.
Baldini RM. 1990. Caryological observations on two Crocus species (Iridaceae) from Tuscany (Italy). Caryologia. 43(3-4):341-345. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00087114.1990.10797012
Bolkhovskikh Z, Grif V, Matvejeva T, Zakharyeva O. 1969. Chromosome numbers of flowering plants. Komarov VL. Botanical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Russian
Brighton CA, Mathew B, Marchant CJ. 1973. Chromosome counts in the genus Crocus (Iridaceae). Kew Bull. 28(3):451-464. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4108890
Brighton CA. 1976. Cytological problems in the genus Crocus (Iridaceae): I. Crocus vernus aggregate. Kew Bull. 31(1):33-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4108994
Brighton CA. 1977a. Cytology of Crocus sativus and its allies (Iridaceae). Plant Syst Evol. 128:137-157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00984551
Brighton CA. 1977b. Cytological problems in the genus Crocus (Iridaceae): II. Crocus cancellatus aggregate. Kew Bull. 32(1):33-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4117257
Brighton CA. 1980. Cytology of Crocus vallicola and its allies (Iridaceae). Notes RBG Edin. 38(3):399-412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24823/nrbge.1980.3230
Brighton CA, Mathew B, Rudall P. 1983. A detailed study of Crocus speciosus and its ally C. pulchellus (Iridaceae). Plant Syst Evol. 142:187-206. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00985898
Candan F, Sik L, Kesercioglu T. 2009. Cytotaxonomical studies on some Crocus L. taxa in Turkey. Afr J Biotechnol. 8(18):4374-4377.
Darlington CD, Wylie AP. 1955. Chromosome atlas of flowering plants. George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London.
Dolatyari A, Saeidi Mehrvarz S, Shahzadeh Fazeli SA, Naghavi MR, Fritsch RM. 2018. Karyological studies of Iranian Allium L. (Amaryllidaceae) species with focus on sect. Acanthoprason. 1. Mitotic chromosomes. Plant Syst Evol. 304(5):583–606. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-017-1489-5
Dolatyari, A, Rukšāns J. 2022. Five new Crocus species (Liliiflorae, Iridaceae) from north-western and western Iran (preliminary publication). Int Rock Gard. 150:47-93.
Dolatyari A, Tolyat Abolhasani M, Ardalani F, Rukšāns J. 2024. A taxonomic revision of the genus Crocus (Iridaceae) in Iran. Nord J Bot. e04270. https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.04270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.04270
Dolatyari A, Dehghani M. 2025. Palynomorphological analysis of the genus Crocus L. (Iridaceae) in Iran and its taxonomic implications. Microsc. Res. Tech. doi: 10.1002/jemt.70036. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173712970.07182095/v1
Ebrahimzadeh, H, Saboora A, Noori-Daloii MR, Ghaffari SM. 1998. Chromosomal studies on four Iranian Crocus species (Iridaceae). Iran J Bot. 7(2):179-192.
Estilai A. 1976. Chromosome number and sterility in saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Bull Fac Sci Tehran Univ. 8(1):33-41.
Estilai A, Aghamohammadi Z. 1977. Pollen stainability and pollen germination in relation to sterility of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Bull Fac Sci Tehran Univ. 9(1):10-15.
Feinbrun N. 1957. The genus Crocus in Israel and neighboring countries. Kew Bull. 12(2):269-285. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4114421
Feinbrun N. 1958. Chromosome numbers in Crocus. Genet. 29:172-192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01535708
Ghaffari SM. 1986. Cytogenetic studies of cultivated Crocus sativus (Iridaceae). Plant Syst Evol. 153:199-204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00983687
Ghaffari SM, Bagheri A. 2009. Stigma variability in saffron (Crocus sativus L.). Afr J Biotechnol. 8(4):601-604.
Ghaffari SM, Djavadi SB. 2007. Chromosome study on Crocus cancellatus subsp. damascenus from Iran. Iran J Bot. 13(1):1-3.
Goldblatt P, Takei M. 1997. Chromosome cytology of Iridaceae: patterns of variation, determination of base number, and modes of karyotype change. Ann Mo Bot Gard. 84:285-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2400005
Harpke D, Meng S, Rutten T, Kerndorff H, Blattner FR. 2013. Phylogeny of Crocus (Iridaceae) based on one chloroplast and two nuclear loci: ancient hybridization and chromosome number evolution. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 66:617-627. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.10.007
Harpke D, Carta A, Tomović G, Ranđelović V, Ranđelović N, Blattner FR, Peruzzi L. 2015. Phylogeny, karyotype evolution and taxonomy of Crocus series Verni (Iridaceae). Plant Syst Evol. 301:309–325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-014-1074-0
Harpke D, Kerndorff H, Pasche E, Peruzzi L. 2016. Neotypification of the name Crocus biflorus Mill. (Iridaceae) and its consequences in the taxonomy of the genus. Phytotaxa. 260(2):131-143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.260.2.3
Heywood CA. 1983. Meiosis in some species and cultivars of Crocus (Iridaceae). Plant Syst Evol. 143:207-225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986379
Karamplianis T, Tsiftsis S, Constantinidis T. 2013. The genus Crocus (Iridaceae) in Greece: some noteworthy floristic records and karyotypes. Phytol Balc. 19(1):53–66.
Karasawa K. 1956. Karyological studies in Crocus IV. Genetica. 28:31-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01694308
Kerndorff H, Pasche E, Harpke D. 2017. Crocus adamii Gay (Liliiflorae, Iridaceae) and some of its relatives in Iran. Stapfia. 107:3–10.
Levan A, Fredga K, Sandberg AA. 1964. Nomenclature for centromeric position on chromosomes. Hered (Lund). 52:201–220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1601-5223.1964.tb01953.x
Mather K. 1932. Chromosome variation in Crocus I. J Genet. 26:129-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02991449
Mathew B, Brighton CA. 1977. Four central Asian Crocus species (Liliaceae). Iran J Bot. 1(2):123-135.
Mathew B, Brighton CA, Baytop T. 1979. Taxonomic and cytological notes on Asiatic Crocus. Notes from R Bot Gard, Edinb. 37:469–474. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24823/nrbge.1979.3170
Mathew B. 1982. The Crocus, a revision of the genus Crocus (Iridaceae). Timber Press Inc., Portland, pp. 224.
Pathak GN. 1940. Studies in the cytology of Crocus. Ann Bot. 4(14):227-256. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/4.2.227
Peruzzi L, Leitch IJ, Caparelli KF. 2009. Chromosome diversity and evolution in Liliaceae. Ann Bot. 103:459–475. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcn230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcn230
Peruzzi L, Altinordu F. 2014. A proposal for a multivariate quantitative approach to infer karyological relationships among taxa. Comp Cytogenet. 8(4):337–349. doi: 10.3897/CompCytogen.v8i4.8564. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v8i4.8564
Raca I, Blattner FR, Waminal NE, Kerndorff H, Ranđelović V, Harpke D. 2023. Disentangling Crocus series Verni and its polyploids. Biol. 12, 303. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020303
Rudall PJ, Owens SJ, Kenton AY. 1984. Embryology and breeding systems in Crocus (Iridaceae). A study in causes of chromosome variation. Plant Syst Evol. 148:119-134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00984573
Rukšāns J. 2014a. Crocus danfordiae Maw and C. chrysanthus (Herbert) Herbert (Iridaceae) and some of their allies in Turkey and Iran. Int Rock Gard. 52:2-31.
Rukšāns J. 2014b. The genus Crocus (Iridaceae) in Iran, three new species from the so-called “Crocus biflorus” aggregate. Int Rock Gard. 61:2-26.
Rukšāns J. 2015. Some new Crocus taxa (Iridaceae) from Western Turkey and East Aegean Islands. Int Rock Gard. 64:2-36.
Rukšāns J. 2017a. The World of Crocuses. The Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga, pp. 568.
Rukšāns J. 2017b. Crocus inghamii Rukšāns, a new Crocus species from NW Iran. Int Rock Gard. 89:3-18.
Rukšāns J. 2022. Crocus dolatyarii Rukšāns, a new species from W Iran. Int Rock Gard. 149:70-90.
Rukšāns J. 2023. The World of Crocuses, the first supplement. The Latvian Academy of Sciences, pp. 144.
Rukšāns J., Zubov D. 2025. Three new Crocus taxa (Iridaceae) described from the series Speciosi. Int Rock Gard. 182:12–53.
Sanei M, Rahimyan H, Agayev YM, Soheilivand S. 2007. New cytotype of Crocus pallasii subsp. haussknechtii from west of Iran. Acta Hortic. 739:107–111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.739.13
Saxena RB. 2010. Botany, taxonomy and cytology of Crocus sativus series. AYU. 31(3):374–380. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8520.77153
Schneider I, Kerndorff H, Pasche E. 2012. Chromosome numbers of Turkish Crocus (Liliiflorae, Iridaceae) and their geographical distribution. Feddes Repert. 123(1):73–79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fedr.201200033
Wendelbo P, Mathew B. 1975. Iridaceae. In Rechinger, K. H. (Ed.) Flora Iranica vol. 112. Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz, Austria.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Alireza Dolatyari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Copyright on any open access article in a journal published byCaryologia is retained by the author(s).
- Authors grant Caryologia a license to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.
- Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
- The Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 formalizes these and other terms and conditions of publishing articles.
- In accordance with our Open Data policy, the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication waiver applies to all published data in Caryologia open access articles.
