Karyology of some gagea species

Gagea Salisb. (Liliaceae) genus consists of small perennial geophytes. It?s distribution is restricted to the temperate and subtropical regions of Eurasia and does not extend into any areas with either a tropical climate or permafrost. Gagea Salisb. is an Eurasian genus with a few species in North Africa. This genus comprises at least 275 species and it is one of the largest genus amongst the Liliaceae. This genus have 25 species (27 taxa) in Turkey and two of them are endemic. In this study, detailed karyological characteristics of five species of the genus Gagea Salisb. (Liliaceae) were examined. The basic chromosome number is x=12 in all taxa. The taxa investigated and their chromosome numbers are; Gagea reticulata (Pallas) Schultes & Schultes fil. from three different localities (they are all 2n=2x=24), Gagea bulbifera (Pallas) Schultes & Schultes fil. from two different localities (both are 2n=4x=48), Gagea bohemica (Zauschn) Schultes & Schultes fil. (2n=2x=48), Gagea granatellii (Parl.) Parl. (2n=4x=48) and Gagea taurica Steven. (2n=2x=24). Detailed karyological characteristics and asymmetry index of these taxa were determined for the first time. Science Code : 203.1.048 Key Words : Gagea Salisb., Gagea reticulata, Gagea bulbifera, Gagea bohemica, Gagea granatellii, Gagea taurica, karyotype, Turkey Page Number : 49 Visor : Prof. Dr. Fatma ÜNAL