Morphological traits of Sedum album sensu stricto (Crassulaceae): variability patterns across the Balkan Peninsula

Abstract

The present study analyzes morphological variability of Sedum album in a sample collected on the Balkan Peninsula. The objectives were to determine the degree of morphological variability of the quantitative characters and their importance in possible differentiation within S. album sensu stricto populations. Variability was analyzed within 315 individuals from 21 populations. A total of 28 quantitative characters, including characters of the vegetative region, inflorescence and floral parts, were examined. Quantitative data was processed in STATISTICA 8.0, including descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and univariate variance analysis (ANOVA). The obtained results indicate moderate to highly expressed variability of most of the analyzed traits, as well as differences in the mean values of all characters, indicating a high level of morphological diversity of S. album in the Balkan Peninsula.