Diversity of chromosome numbers and meiotic studies in genus Anchusa (Boraginaceae) from Iran (10 Nov 2015)

The present study reports the chromosome number and meiotic behaviour of 14 populationsbelonging to four taxa of Anchusa subgenus Buglossum Gusul. from Iran. All populationsshowed the chromosome number 2n= 4x= 32. It is the first meiotic study for A. subg.Buglossum. We discuss some habit form and evolutionary aspect in the light of cytogeneticdata. The origin of polyploidy (auto-allopolyploidy) were also surveyed. As the result of thepresent study and reviewing the chromosome numbers in Anchusa subg. Buglossum and A.subg. Buglossoides Gusul. in Iran, it can be concluded that polyploidy is the major forcemodeling the chromosome evolution within these subgenera. Almost all the studied taxadisplayed regular bivalent pairing and chromosome segregation at meiosis. However, somemeiotic abnormalities observed in different taxa are discussed here.