Yes / Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. is a species with a cosmopolitan distribution which shows considerable
morphological variation. Numerous authors have recognised widely differing numbers of varieties, microspecies
or other infraspecific subdivisions (segregates) of this species. In an attempt to clarify this situation,
we grew British material of the species under controlled conditions through to the F) generation to remove
environmental variation, and assessed the plants on the basis of a range of morphological criteria, namely leaf
shape, capsule size and also length of time taken to flower. Analysis of these characteristics consistently
produced four basic groups, which had been previously described. Herbarium specimens could also nearly
always be assigned to one of these groups. Limited chromosome counts suggest that two of these groups are
diploid and two are tetraploid. We suggest this fourfold division into broad groups reflects the major genetic
separations within the species, but that there is also considerable phenotypic plasticity shown by C. bursapastoris
in response to factors such as shade or trampling. These four groups appear to differ in their
geographic.al distribution in Britain.
KEYWORDS: Shepherd's Purse, morphological variation, leaf characters, capsule characters, chromosome
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/486 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Aksoy, A., Hale, William H.G., Dixon, Jean M. |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Published version |
| Rights | © 1999 Botanical Society of the British Isles. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy., Unspecified |
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