Abstract
The native form of Lotus corniculatus L. in the north of Europe is a prostrate plant with small leaflets and short internodes. Morphologically different plants with erect growth habit, large leaflets, light keel petals and hollow stems have been introduced in the seed mixtures sown on new roadside verges. The alien plants are being studied to determine their persistance and the effect they may have on the adjacent native populations. Variation within and between two groups of alien plants growing near Hull has been measured. Discriminant analysis of 11 characters showing continuous variation gives a quantitative separation between the two groups of aliens, separates alien from native plants and can be used to detect hybrids between the two forms.
Le lotier spontané du nord de l'Europe est une plante généralement prostrée à petites feuilles et entre-noeuds courts. Des plantes morphologiquement différentes (port érigé, caréne pale, feuilles larges et tiges plus on moins creuses) ont été introduites lors du semis des remblais de routes nouvellement construites. L'étude de ces plantes introduites a pour objectif de déterminer leur persistance et l'effet de leur présence sur la population de plantes autochtones. Les plantes introduites sont comparées d'une part avec les plantes autochtones et d'autre part entre elles lorsqu'elles proviennent de sites différents prés de Hull. Une analyse discriminante sur onze caractéres biométriques a permis de quantifier la distance entre les groupes de plantes introduites, de mettre en évidence la présence d'hybrides entre autochtones et introduites.
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Bonnemaison, F., Jones, D. Variation in alien Lotus corniculatus L. 1. Morphological differences between alien and native British plants. Heredity 56, 129–138 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1986.18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1986.18
