COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL STUDIES ON Iris peshmeniana Güner & T. Hall. AND Iris aucheri (Baker) Sealy (IRIDACEAE)

In this study , morphological and anatomical features of two morphologically similar species ( Iris peshmeniana Guner & T. Hall. and Iris aucheri (Baker) Sealy) within the Scorpiris Spach subgenus (Juno iris) of the genus Iris L. were determined and similarities and differences between the two species were discussed. Iris peshmeniana is endemic to Turkey and its spreading area is protected because of exctinction threat. Iris aucheri is not endemic to Turkey and it has a limited distribution in the country. The cross-sections from root, scape and leaves and surface-sections from leaves of species were taken. Anatomical and morphological evaluations of the collected and obtained samples revealed differences in plant size, leaf number, width and length, periant tube length, fall length, standard structure, capsule length and width, bract and bracteole structure, length of style branches and testa structure of seeds and in the number of exoderma and cortex layers, margin structure of cortex paranchyma cells, structure of the root center cylinder, xylem strand number, status micropapillae in lower epiderma, layer number of palisade and spongy parenchyma and status of sclerenchyma cap. Although there were some differences in morphological and anatomical features, based on similar anatomical and morphological features revealed in the present study, it has been suggested that I. peshmeniana may be a subspecies of I. aucheri .