Taxonomic study of some sections of genus Rosa and introduction of three new hybrids from Iran

Abstract

Based on their taxonomic characters, six species of genus Rosa were collected from ten provinces of Iran (33 populations). In each population, five plants were randomly selected, and some branches were harvested in spring and autumn to study their vegetative and floral characteristics. Fifty-five qualitative and quantitative characters were grouped using the most suitable method of cluster analysis (Ward), and an ordination diagram was drawn based on the most variable factors for each species and section. Cluster analysis of quantitative and qualitative characters showed significant differences between characters. According to the flora of Iran, there are two main subgenera within the genus Rosa. The first branch separates subgenus Hulthemia from subgenus Rosa. The second group consists of sections Pimpinellifoliae, Caninae and Cinnamomeae. The latter two are very close to each other, and cross-pollination between them could be one of the reasons for these close relationships. The results showed that the effect of ecological factors such as altitude of the species habitat influenced intraspecies variation. The results of classification of four species from section Pimpinellifoliae and two species from section Cinnamomeae confirmed previous classification. In this study, three new natural hybrids, Rosa pulverulenta × Rosa boissieri, Rosa elimatica × Rosa iberica and Rosa pimpinellifolia × R. iberica, were reported from Iran for the first time. The results of this study can help us to choose parental hybrids appropriately. Using natural hybrids in breeding programs improves appropriate transfer of character to modern rose species.