Foliar anatomy and micromorphology of Festuca L. and its taxonomic applications

In this study, leaf micromorphological structure of eight species of Festuca (F. akhanii, F. elwendiana, F. heterophylla, F. sulcata, F. valesiaca, F. arundinacea, F. gigantean and F. drymeia) and leaf anatomy structure of three species of Festuca (F. arundinacea, F. gigantean and F. drymeia) belonging to the four subgenera were examined with different repeations. About 40 quantitative and qualitative anatomical features of the leaves were statistically analyzed for several times from superficial view and on transversal section. These characters included observation of ribs and furrows in epidermis, the density of stomata and trichome, and the arrangement of vascular bundles. Sclerenchyma and bulliform cells were studied and their taxonomic value was verified in order to classify different species. The micromorphology data and anatomy characteristics of the species were used for multivariate analysis, which partly supported the taxonomic treatment of the genus Festuca in the flora of Iran. In order to group the species studied on the basis of similarity in their anatomical features as well as their micro morphological characteristics, different clustering methods of Between Groups, Single Linkage and WARD were observed. The first cluster composed of F. sulcata, F. valesiaca, F. elwendiana, F. heterophylla and F. akhanii. The species of F. arundinacea, F. gigantea and F. drymeia were positioned in clusters two