Species relationships in the genus Helichrysum Mill. (Asteraceae) based on morphological characters in Iran

The present study considers phenetic and cladistic analyses of 20 populations belong to 19 Helichrysum species, trying to reveal their morphological variations and inter-specific relationships in Iran. To evaluate the species relationships, cluster analyses and principal component analysis were done. Statistical analyses indicated that characters as maximum basal leaf width, maximum stem leaf width, involucre form, achene length and achenial papillae, bud prop, longitudinal plicate in phyllary and stem branched had the most important role as diagnostic characters in intera- genus variation. In general two clusters provided, H. makranicum (Rech. f. & Esfand.) Rech. f. due absence rest buds placed in first cluster and remaining species formed the second cluster. In the second cluster, H. araxinum Takht. ex Kirp., H. athanaton Georgiadou & Rech. f., H. artemisioides Boiss. & Hausskn. and H. davisianum Rech. f. with slim stems formed the first sub cluster and H. plicatum DC., H. polyphyllum Ledeb., H. pseudoplicatum Nab.- by having phyllaries with longitudinal plicate-, H.psychrophilum Boiss., H. graveolens (M. B.) Sweet., H. armenium DC., H. aucheri Boiss., H. glandoliferum Schultz. Bip., H. globiferum DC., H. leucocephalum Boiss., H. oligocephalum DC., H. oocephalum Boiss., H. pallasii (Spreng.) Ledeb., and H. rubicundum (C. Kooch) Bornm., populations -with wide rosette leaf- have been placed together in second sub cluster