Forty wild populations belonging to five Asparagus species including the endemic A. altissimus were sampled in an eastwest bioclimatic gradient of North Algeria. More than 250 individuals were taxonomically examined and karyologically investigated. Meiotic behavior was analyzed for each species. New chromosome numbers were consistent with the base number x = 10 for the genus Asparagus, and two cytotypes, diploid and hexaploid, were observed. Four species were found to have 2n = 20 chromosomes, highlighting the prominence of diploidy in North Africa. One polyploid with 2n = 60 is reported here as the first karyological information on the endemic A. altissimus. Karyotype parameters were established and compared for diploid species. New data provided for A. acutifolius and A. albus indicate differences in the number of submetacentric chromosomes and genome size estimated by total chromosome length. A. acutifolius is distinguished by the largest genome, the smallest being that of A. horridus. The hexaploid cytotype consists of very small metacentric chromosomes. All diploid species displayed regular meiotic behavior with mostly bivalent pairing. Abnormalities, including univalents, multivalents, laggards, and bridges, were sometimes observed in A. horridus and A. officinalis. The new cytogenetic information provided in this study is discussed in the biogeographic context of the North African flora.
Five species of genus Asparagus are recognized in the flora of Algeria: A. acutifolius L., A. albus L., A. horridus L., A. officinalis L., and the endemic A. altissimus Munby. The chorology of each of these species is fairly well known. In this study, morphological variation and the anatomical features of the cladodes have been evaluated in respect to each taxonomic unit and ecogeographical distribution and suggest distinct adaptive strategies. Analysis have been performed on twenty-nine natural populations sampled along the east-west bioclimatic gradient of the Northern Algeria. Multivariate analysis based on the main diagnostic descriptors, underlines the interspecific differentiation particularly with respect to the stigma type bifid versus trifid, shape of flowers, color of berry, and the number of cladodes in a fascicle. For each species the anatomy of the cladodes is unique, unlike that of stems and roots. Interspecific differentiation was observed in the form of cross-sections of the cladode, thickness of the cuticle, shape of epidermal cells, number of vascular bundles and presence of raphides. Morphological and anatomical traits of the cladode constitute important interspecific criteria within the genus Asparagus.
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