Anatomical features of some Tragopogon L. (Asteraceae) taxa distributed in Türkiye

In this study, 15 Tragopogon L. (Asteraceae) taxa distributed in Türkiye were examined in detail for the first time in terms of root, stem, and leaf anatomical features. The study material consists of plant samples collected from the natural habitats of our country and fixed in 70% alcohol within the scope of a project supported by TUBITAK (110T954) examining the herbal characteristics of Turkish Tragopogon taxa. In anatomical studies, permanent and temporary preparations were prepared by taking transverse sections from the stock materials' roots, stems, and leaves with a freezing microtome and superficial sections from the leaves by hand. All measurements and evaluations were carried out on these preparations. The anatomical data obtained from the studied taxa were evaluated numerically and the variation among taxa was revealed in terms of the determined anatomical characters. In addition, the anatomical data of 10 Tragopogon taxa in our country, whose root, stem, and leaf anatomical features were examined before, were included in the numerical analysis, and the Tragopogon taxa of our country were evaluated holistically in terms of numerical taxonomy. In numerical analyses based on the 54 anatomical characters examined, it was determined that anatomical characteristics such as the width of the secondary cortex in the root, the width of the phloem and xylem in the stem, and the leaf mesophyll structure and mid-vein shape made significant contributions to the differentiation of Tragopogon taxa in our country at the intraspecies and interspecies level.