Abstract
A study of the leaf anatomy in the species of the genus Festuca present in the Iberian Peninsula was made. A total of 68 taxa were included and 15 characters were measured in leaf cross-section. The major anatomical features of each taxonomic group were characterized, and some variability was observed in the taxa. The anatomical patterns observed were compared and discussed with the relationships suggested by the molecular analyses. The leaf outline, the presence or absence of complete girders, and the development degree of the bulliform cells were the main characters to differentiate among fescue species of the fine-leaved clade and those of the broad-leaved clade. The most useful character to segregate species groups within the different taxonomic sections was the arrangement of the sclerenchyma, and a remarkable variability of this character was found in the species of Festuca section Festuca, especially in those located in other lineages according to molecular markers. Most of the anatomical patterns were not exclusive of the sections or lineages, and only some taxa could be anatomically differentiated at species level based on a set of non-taxative characters. The discordant pattern observed in F. henriquesii, a species traditionally included in Festuca sect. Festuca that shared anatomical features with the species of “F. rubra complex”, suggests its possible inclusion in the sect. Aulaxyper pending further taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses.
Highlights
Festuca L. is one of the largest genera within the family Poaceae with more than 450 species mostly distributed in the temperate and alpine zones of both hemispheres (Watson and Dallwitz 1992; Clayton et al 2006 onwards)
Fine-leaved fescues usually present strongly folded leaves, rarely flat, with continuous sclerenchyma or strands, but never forming complete girders nor having colourless cells associated with the girders, and with bulliform cells that are relatively unpronounced
Fescues of the broad-leaved clade may present a leaf blade from convolute to fully folded, almost always with sclerenchyma girders associated with colourless cells, and highly developed bulliform cells
Summary
Festuca L. is one of the largest genera within the family Poaceae with more than 450 species mostly distributed in the temperate and alpine zones of both hemispheres (Watson and Dallwitz 1992; Clayton et al 2006 onwards). The Iberian Peninsula has been considered one of the main speciation centres of the genus Festuca (Saint-Yves 1930), with about 100 taxa (between 70 and 80 species) organized in ten sections and three subgenera (Cebolla and Rivas Ponce 2003a; Devesa et al 2013). It comprises rhizomatous and cespitose perennial species, both diploid and polyploid (up to 12x = 84 chromosomes; Fuente et al 2001; Loureiro et al 2007), capable of growing in a wide variety of environments and habitats (Kerguélen and Plonka 1989). The broad-leaved fescues have flat leaves, convolute or inrolled vernation, and the fine-leaved fescues have conduplicate or infolded leaves, and acicular, setaceous, or filiform innovation leaf blades (Catalán et al 2007), there are several exceptions (Namaganda and Lye 2008)
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