Morphological characterization of three natural hybrid orchid taxa, new for Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia

Abstract

During floristic investigations of Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia from 2011-2018, orchid specimens from the genus Anacamptis, possible hybrids, with characteristics intermediary to species already described for these countries, were discovered. These specimens, together with all potential parent species, were subjected to morphometric analysis in order to determine their hybrid status and characters that distinguished hybrids from parent taxa. Taxonomic studies have included the processing of quantitative and qualitative characters. A total of 60 characters were analyzed, of which 45 quantitative and 15 qualitative. Analysis of quantitative and qualitative characters included 82 specimens ? 60 parents and 22 hybrids. Statistical analyses included descriptive and discriminate statistics and multivariate analyses. Hybrid specimens in general had intermediate values of measured characters with different degrees of similarity with one of the parent species. On the other hand, they have higher mean values of some floral characters that may have an evolutionary potential. The possible taxonomic importance of hybrid characters is discussed. Results confirmed that the analyzed specimens are natural orchid hybrids (A. ? parvifolia, A. ? timbali and A. ? gennarii) and represent new plant taxa for the flora of investigated countries.