Resolving the position of Astragalus borysthenicus Klokov within the Astragalus L. species

Abstract

The present study is focused on several species from the genus Astragalus L. with the aim to clarify the taxonomic status of Ukrainian local endemic species Astragalus borysthenicus Klokov, which is sometimes considered a synonym to A. onobrychis L. In this study, the morphological features, current taxonomy, taxonomical history, and phylogenetic analysis based on rDNA Bayesian inference, as well as comparative analysis of ITS1 and ITS2 secondary structures, were investigated. It was found that A. borysthenicus is distant from A. onobrychis according to phylogenetic analysis. Moreover, A. borysthenicus has differences from the investigated taxa in its secondary structures of ITS1 and ITS2 transcripts. These data suggest that A. borysthenicus should be treated as a separate species rather than a synonym to A. onobrychis.