SESLERIA ULIGINOSA OPIZ – A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LEAF ANATOMICAL TRAITS

The species Sesleria uliginosa is relatively common and widespread in Central (Hungary, Czech republic, Slovakia, Austria, Romania) and Northern Europe (Scandinavian peninsula), while in the Southeastern (Montenegro, Croatia, Bulgaria) and Southern Europe (Italy) it is a true natural rarity. Ecologically it is the typical species of calcareous swamps and by this feature it is an extreme quite singular within the whole genus. S. uliginosa can also grow on soils moist in spring but drying out later in summer, often at sunny stands, especially on clay soils.According to Deyl, S. uliginosa belongs to Calcaria section, turma Uliginosa. The wax cover of the young leaves is typical for this species, but this pruining is nearly completely absent in the old leaves. It is closely related to Sesleria heuflerana Schur with which it shares some common characters – pruinos leaves, three floretted spikes and the occurrence in lower altitudes. But in the Balkan peninusla it seems to have a far wider amplitude of its stands, so it can be found on the localities that reach up to the subalpine zone.The aim of this study was to establish and describe the anatomical differentiation of populations of S. uliginosa from Romania, Hungary and Montenegro. The measurements were carried out on permanent handmade slides, prepared by the standard method for the light microscopy. To determine the significance of anatomical variation and differentiation, the following analysis were carried out: Principal component analysis (PCA), Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and cluster analysis by UPGMA method.