Morphological and leaf anatomical variation in Festuca rubra sensu lato (Poaceae) from eastern Quebec

Abstract

The variation of 52 morphological and anatomical characters was analysed in 32 populations of Festuca rubra L. sensu lato from salt marshes, coastal rocks, coastal sands, and anthropogenic sites in eastern Quebec. The results show that the variation of characters is essentially continuous within and between populations, that some populations are much more variable than others, and that on the whole, character variation patterns are mainly related to ecological rather than geographical factors. The weak structure revealed by a similarity analysis of populations is the source of the classification problems within this species.