Taxonomy of the Solidago virgaurea Group (Asteraceae) in Poland, with Special Reference to Variability along an Altitudinal Gradient

Abstract

The morphological differentiation and taxonomic treatment of lowland and high-mountain morphotypes within the Solidago virgaurea group are controversial. To clarify the taxonomic status of these taxa, we conducted a morphometric analysis of 1,746 individuals from 80 localities along an altitudinal gradient from the lowlands of northern Poland to the Carpathians and Sudetes of southern Poland. Multivariate morphometric analyses, cluster analyses and principal component analyses, were used to examine the morphological differentiation within the S. virgaurea group in Poland. Canonical discriminant analysis was applied to determine the morphological characters that best discriminate among the taxa. The stability of the high-mountain Solidago minuta morphotype was tested in an experimental field established in lowland Poland; individuals transplanted from various mountain sites were cultivated at this site, and the morphotypes remained stable in terms of their floral and vegetative characters. Multivariate analyses revealed two morphologically distinct taxa in the S. virgaurea group, which correspond to lowland S. virgaurea s. str. and high-mountain S. minuta as recognised in some European floras. The most important morphological characters for distinguishing the taxa are the number of tubular florets per capitulum, inner involucral bract width and involucre height. Vegetative and inflorescence characters appear to have less taxonomic value because they changed continuously with altitude. A key for identifying S. virgaurea and S. minuta in Poland is presented. © 2013 The Author(s).