MORPHOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF NOTHOSPECIES ALNUS X PUBESCENS TAUSCH. AND THEIR NEW LOCALITIES IN CENTRAL BOSNIA

Abstract

UDK: 582.632.1:581.45(497.6)
 Natural interspecies hybrids of black (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn) and grey (A. incana (L.) Moench) alder are not frequent in nature but they are registered, and according to modern systematic nomenclature are classified within nothospecies A. × pubescens Tausch.. Since the presence of spontaneous intermediate forms of the genus Alnus in Bosnia and Herzegovina is insufficiently explored, the first results of comparative morphological analysis (seven leaf’s characters) of black and grey alder and their hybrids are given in this study. About 10% of hybrid individuals were present in the studied sympatric populations, and they had more heterogeneous leaves than parental species. Good diagnostic characters showed intermediate values in comparison to the parental species, which are: number of pairs of lateral veins, angle from the top of the leaflet to the top of the upper 3rd nerve, and distance from the top of the leaflet to the top of the upper 3rd vein. According to analyzed characters, hybrids either hold intermediate positions between the parental species or are closer to the maternal species (A. incana). Three new findings of nothospecies A. × pubescens for Flora B&H are rivers’ localities Drinjača near Kladanj, Turbe near Travnik, and Stavnja near Vareš. Due to the low frequency of observed individuals of A. x pubescens, they are vulnerable and require special measures of protection and biodiversity conservation activities of autochthonous gene pool, it is necessary to determine the actual state in all previously published hybrid complexes’ findings and expand researches in B&H in the coming period.