A rearranged homoploid hybrid species of Origanum (Lamiaceae): O. ×munzurense Kit Tan & Sorger

ABSTRACT

Origanum munzurense Kit Tan & Sorger (Sect. Brevifilamentum Ietsw.) was described by Kit Tan & Sorger in 1984, and it is an accepted species related to O. acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietsw. belonging to sect. Brevifilamentum. It is morphologically intermediate between O. acutidens and O. vulgare L. subsp. gracile (K.Koch) Ietsw., and its type locality lies in the overlap zone between the geographic distributions of these two taxa. We hypothesized that O. munzurense is in fact a hybrid between the two aforementioned taxa and we tested this hypothesis with the general morphology, chromosome features, and nuclear (ITS1–ITS2) and chloroplast (rpl32) DNA sequences of specimens of O. munzurense and its putative parental species, O. vulgare subsp. gracile and O. acutidens. The somatic chromosome number of O. munzurense, O. vulgare subsp. gracile and O. acutidens were counted as 2n = 30. Origanum munzurense presented polymorphic sites in the nuclear ITS region, but the chloroplast markers did not allow us to identify the putative maternal of O. munzurense. Our results suggest that O. munzurense is indeed a hybrid, and its rearrangement as a new homoploid hybrid (O. ×munzurense) would be more accurate. These present results support previous reports for the speciation of Origanum members via hybridization.

KEYWORDS:

• Endemic
• homoploid hybrid
• ITS
• Lamiaceae
• Origanum
• Tunceli
• Turkey

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank TÜBİTAK (Project No: 113Z225) for financial support for our research, the curators of the following herbaria, which gave us permission to examine the specimens: ANK, B, BM, E, EGE, G, GAZI, GOET, HUB, ISTE, ISTF, K, LE, W, and WU, and Chris Huh (from the U.S.A.) for her valuable proof-reading contributions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the TUBİTAK [113 Z 225].

Notes on contributors

Tuncay Dirmenci

Tuncay Dirmenci, Ph.D., is lecturer-researcher at Balıkesir University. His research focuses on the taxonomy, nomenclature, and distribution of the many genera of the family Lamiaceae in Turkey and adjacent countries. The Supervisor of revision project of the genus Origanum. Contribution: conceived the study, performed field work.

Taner Özcan

Taner Özcan, PhD, is lecturer-researcher at Balıkesir University. His focuses on the phylogeny, taxonomy of mainly some Lamiaceae genera.Contribution: conceived the study, performed molecular studies and statistical analyses.

Mikail Açar

Mikail Açar is PhD. student at Balıkesir University and lecturer at Tunceli Munzur University University. His research focuses on the taxonomy and anatomy of the genus Stachys (Lamiaceae). Contribution: performed field work and statistical analyses.

Turan Arabacı

Turan Arabacı, PhD, is lecturer-researcher at Inonu University. His research focuses on the taxonomy, nomenclature, and distribution of the some genera of the family Lamiaceae and Asteraceae in Turkey and adjacent countries. Contribution: conceived the study, performed field work.

Türker Yazıcı

Türker Yazıcı is MSc. student at Balıkesir University. His research focuses on the taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Origanum sect. Brevifilamnetum. Contribution: performed field work and molecular studies.

Esra Martin

Esra Martin, Ph.D., is lecturer-researcher at Necmettin Erbakan University. Her research focuses on the chromosome studies. Contribution: conceived the study, performed chromosome work.