Meiotic Studies in Some Species of Tribe Cichorieae (Asteraceae)‎ from Western Himalayas

Abstract EN

The present paper deals with meiotic studies in 15 species belonging to 6 genera of the tribe Cichorieae from various localities of Western Himalayas.

The chromosome number has been reported for the first time in Hieracium crocatum ( 2 n = 10 ) and Lactuca lessertiana ( 2 n = 2 x = 16 ).

Further, intraspecific variability has been reported for the first time in H.

umbellatum ( 2 n = 2 x = 10 and 2 n = 6 x = 54 ), Tragopogon dubius ( 2 n = 2 x = 14 and 2 n = 4 x = 28 ), and T.

gracilis ( 2 n = 2 x = 14 ).

The chromosome report of 2 n = 2 x = 10 in Youngia tenuifolia is made for the first time in India.

Maximum numbers of the populations show laggards, chromosome stickiness, and cytomixis from early prophase to telophase-II, leading to the formation of aneuploid cells or meiocytes with double chromosome number.

Such meiotic abnormalities produce unreduced pollen grains and the reduced pollen viability.