Determination of the diagnostic anatomic characters of Turkish Prunus L., subgenus Cerasus (Mill.) Focke

The Rosaceae is a large family that includes many plants of economic value. Although the subgenus Cerasus (Mill.) Focke of the genus Prunus L., which belongs to this family, is widely distributed in Turkey, there has been no comprehensive in-depth morphological and anatomical study of its taxa to date. This study examines the micromorphological and anatomical characters of 98 individuals from 14 taxa in this group. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to investigate seed, endocarp and leaf micromorphology. Leaf, petiole and young stems were used for anatomical studies. Cross sections of these structures were stained using Safranin-Alcian Blue double stain. In addition, crystal structures were examined with a polarizing filter. The data obtained are presented in table form. Four different mesophyll types were defined using characters from the leaf lamina. To this data we added stem and petiole characters and then grouped the taxa according to overall similarity. All qualitative and quantitative data obtained are presented in this thesis, as well as the results of statistical analysis using these data. PCoA analysis was used to group similar taxa and make a distinction, albeit a rough one, between the taxa. We observed that some features, such as those of trichomes, can be variable even among different samples from the same individual and thus we determined that these characters are not useful in distinguishing these taxa.