Morphological Diversity
摘要
The author observed the morphology of two types of Rubus guyanensis morphs, namely, the “Oblong-acuminate” morph and the “Cordate-lanceolate”. The “Oblong-acuminate” morph occurred on the road that leads from La Calera to Chingaza National Park at 3100 meters above sea level (m. a. s. l.). The “Cordate-lanceolate” morph occurred at 3100 m. a. s. l. in Vereda El Verjón, Cundinamarca State, Colombia. Thirty-six quantitative traits and six qualitative traits were measured for both morphs. Neither quantitative nor qualitative data for the “Elliptical” morph were obtained due to the low number of plants found. Rubus L is a genus with multiple species that are often difficult to classify due to polyploidy, apomixis, or asexual reproduction via pyrenes, and hybridization. Rubus shows a huge degree of morphological plasticity. This morphological variability was observed in the current study in the three morphs proposed. The distinction between these morphs is based on leaf shape and, to a lesser extent, on stipule color. The “Oblong-acuminate” morph mean number of prickles between nodes was 8.75. The “Cordate-lanceolate” morph had fewer prickles per stem node (average 7.25). A high degree of variability has been found among the morphological traits measured in both morphs.