Karyological investigation of some Ornithogalum L. species

Ornithogalum L. genus is one of the important genera known as "Akyıldız" among the people and represented by 70 taxa in our country. In this study, three species (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, Ornithogalum alpigenum and Ornithogalum persicum) belonging to the genus Ornithogalum L., one of the important genera of the Asparagaceae family, were investigated karyologically. The plant materials used in the study were collected from the natural distribution areas of the plants around Elazığ and Tunceli between 2021-2022. Some of the collected samples were turned into herbarium samples and stocked in the FU herbarium. Bulbs obtained from the collected samples were used in cytotaxonomic studies. As a result of the studies carried out in dividing somatic cells, chromosome counts and karyotype analyzes of the species were made and their ideograms were drawn. Chromosome numbers were determined as 2n=18 in Ornithogalum pyrenaicum and Ornithogalum alpigenum species, and 2n=24 in Ornithogalum persicum species. In this study, chromosome number and karyotype characteristics of Ornithogalum persicum were determined for the first time. It was determined that the results obtained were compatible with the karyological characteristics of the Genus.