Invasive taxa of the genus Solidago L. in the vicinity of the city of Pskov

Abstract

Three taxa of the genus Solidago occur in the vicinity of Pskov: S. virgaurea, an aboriginal species, S. canadensis, an invasive species of North American origin, and their hybrid S. × nie­derederi. We studied the morphology of the hybrid and parental species. The diameter of the S. × niederederi flower heads is intermediate between those in S. virgaurea and S. canadensis. The hybridogenic origin of S. × niederederi was demonstrated using molecular analysis of nucleotide sequences of nuclear DNA (ITS region). At present, it is not possible to unequivocally determine which of the parental species was maternal and which was paternal. By analyzing the highly variable noncoding loci of chloroplast DNA (rpl32–trnL), it can be assumed that hybridization proceeds in both directions.

Keywords

• invasions
• hybridization
• solidago canadensis
• s. × niederederi
• s. virgaurea
• flower heads diameter
• its region
• chloroplast loci rpl32–trnl