Yasaman Salmaki, Mahya Khakpash,
Volume 10, Issue 2 (9-2023)
Abstract
Stachys sect. Satureoides includes four species characterized by being annual herbs having oblanceolate leaves, urceolate calyx in fruit and dense hairs at mouth and are distributed from Eastern and Southern Turkey, Syria, Northern Iraq to Western Iran. The main aim of present study is to determine the phylogenetic placement of S. sect. Satureoides based on Stachys melampyroides, as the only representative of this section in Iran. The present molecular study was conducted based on nuclear ribosomal ITS marker, using Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference analyses. In total, 86 accessions (including nine outgroups and 77 ingroups) were included. Our results demonstrated that sect. Satureoides was placed in Olisia clade which is one of the most heterogenous and taxonomically challenging clades of Stachys as a paraphyletic genus. Moreover, not only sect. Satureoides was not found to be phylogenetically close to sect. Neurocalyx, as had been suggested by previous morphological studies, but also it was placed as a sister group of sect Fragilicaulis which was characterized by chasmophilus species with fragile stems and yellow flowers. Our results revealed that sect. Neurocalyx could be the closest group to the Satureoides+Fragilicaulis clade. In addition, based on the nrITS phylogenetic tree, annual species of Stachys showed affinity to perennial Stachys species. Hence, it seems that “Annual habit” have been evolved among their perennial ancestors, independently.
