Morpho-anatomical properties of Pinus heldreichii needles from natural populations in Montenegro and Serbia

Variability of eight morpho-anatomical characters of 2-year-old needles of the Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii Christ.), collected from natural populations in Montenegro (Lovćen, Zeletin and Bjelasica) and Serbia (Zlatibor-Pešter) were investigated. The needles have 0–13 resin ducts, predominantly of the medial type (settled in mesophyll tissue). The average values were as follows: 7.86 cm (needle length), 1.44 mm (needle width), 0.85 mm (needle thickness), 20.82 μm (cuticle+epidermis thickness), 21.08 μm (height of hypodermal cells), 3.31 (number of hypodermis layers), 4 (number of resin ducts) (Formula presented.) 57.05 μm (resin duct diameter). Needle width and thickness were the most variable characters. Principal component analysis (Formula presented.) separation of the geographically most distant populations Lovćen and Zlatibor-Pešter from themselves and from other populations. Cluster analysis suggests biggest similarities between populations Lovćen and Bjelasica and biggest differences between Lovćen and Zlatibor-Pešter. Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology (2016), 150(2): 254-263