© 2018 The Japan Mendel Society Cytologia 83(2): 215–220 New and Varied Chromosome Reports in Twenty-Six Species of the Family Asteraceae from Cold Deserts of the Western Himalaya Raghbir Chand Gupta1, Henna Goyal1, Rajesh Kumar Goel2 and Vijay Singh1,3* 1 Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India-147002 2 Department of Pharmaceutical and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, India-147002 3 Department of Botany, Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India-140407 Received December 10, 2017; accepted February 18, 2018 Summary In the present study, 26 species belonging to 17 genera and five tribes of the family Asteraceae collected from natural habitats in cold deserts of the western Himalaya were analyzed on their meiotic events. The chromosome counts are reported for the first time in four species viz. Brachyactis roylei (n=9), Cousinia thomsonii (n=12), Erigeron umbrosus (n=9) and Waldheimia glabra (n=9). The euploid or aneuploid chromo- some numbers are reported in Arctium lappa (n=17), Bellis perennis (n=5) and Saussurea heteromalla (n=8). The chromosome counts of n=9 in E. borealis is new to the Indian populations. The chromosome counts in the rest 18 species are new additions from the cold desserts of Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. The present meiotic study also discloses meiotic abnormalities viz. chromosome stickiness, cytomixis, laggards, etc. leading to the hypo-/or hyperploid meiocytes. These abnormalities further may alter pollen viability by producing unre- duced pollen grains and might be responsible for the disparity in the chromosome numbers. Key words Asteraceae, Chromosome number, Meiotic study, Cold desert, Western Himalaya. Asteraceae is the largest and most diverse family Materials and methods among Angiosperms. The family comprises about 22750 species belonging to 1528 genera (Judd et al. 2008) The plant materials were collected from the unex- and about 900 species in 167 genera in India (Hajra plored sites of Lahaul-Spiti district (32°30′N, 77°50′E) et al. 1995). The family comprises 10 subfamilies and of Himachal Pradesh. The young flower buds were col- 35 tribes (Panero and Funk 2002). For the most evolved lected on population’s basis (three to seven individuals status in dicots, therefore we pay attention to the family of each population) and fixed in Carnoy’s fixative (etha- with an evolutionary interest. nol : chloroform : acetic acid, 6 : 3 : 1). The anthers were The western Himalaya, an integral part the Great crushed in 1% acetocarmine and studied under a mi- Himalayan range is always bequeathed diverse phyto- croscope. The accurate chromosome numbers and other geographic range, not only support huge floristic diver- meiotic abnormalities were confirmed by observing sity, also offers a scope for assessing phytogeographical 200–250 pollen mother cells (PMCs) at various meiotic interest. Previously a significant number of attempts stages for each specimen in each population of species. were made on the floristic diversity of higher altitude Meiotic index in the species with abnormal microsporo- of western Himalaya, but still, there is a lacuna in chro- genesis was calculated. mosomal studies, particularly for this group. The lack of The staining tests using a glycerol–acetocarmine cytological work in this area is due to the tough climatic (1 : 1) mixture and 1% aniline blue were performed and conditions and abrupt topography. Thus, keeping in view up to 500–800, pollen grains were examined for esti- the cumulative reputation of Asteraceae and importance mate pollen fertility and size. The fully stained pollen of cytology in evolutionary studies, the present study grains were taken as apparently fertile, while shriveled covers the species from various localities of Lahaul-Spiti and unstained pollen as sterile. The photomicrographs district, an ecologically fragile cold dessert in the west- of PMCs at various meiotic stages were taken from pre- ern Himalayas. pared slides using a Leica DM 3000 imaging system. The voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of Department of Botany, Punjabi University Patiala (PUN), only after consulting various local floral keys and confirming finally from Botanical Survey of India * Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] (BSI), Dehra Dun. DOI: 10.1508/cytologia.83.215 216 R. C. Gupta et al. Cytologia 83(2) Table 1. The table showing taxa, localities with altitudes, accession number, chromosome number (2n), ploidal level, pollen viability and re- marks about the studied species from cold desserts of Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh). Locality (altitude in Chromosome Pollen Species Pollen size meters), geographical number (n)/ viability Remarks PUN (*) (µm±S.E.) co-ordinates Ploidy level (x) (%) Tribe: Anthemideae Anthemis cotula L. 58560 (3) Keylong (3335), 9/2x 89 23.3±0.2×22.8±0.4 New record from the 32°34′19″N, 77°02′07″E district Artemisia macrocephala Jacq Baralacha La (4883), 9/2x 70 23.1±0.5×20.7±1.1 First report from World ex Bess. 52785 (4) 32°45′37″N, 77°25′12″E Waldheimia glabra (Decne.) Baralacha La (4883), 9/2x 100 21.5±1.2×22.3±1.5 First report from World Regel 52791 (4) 32°45′37″N, 77°25′12″E W. tomentosa (Decne.) Regel Baralacha La (4883), 9/2x 100 20.5±1.5×23.1±1.4 New record from the 52792 (8) 32°45′37″N, 77°25′12″E district Tribe: Asterae Aster indamellus Grierson Chandra Lake (4300), 9/2x 92 26.1±1.1×25.4±1.4 New report from the 52762 (3) 32°28′57″N, 77°36′53″E district Bellis perennis L. 52776 (8) Kibber (3080), 5/2x 92 16.8±0.9×17.4±0.6 New varied report from 32°19′51″N, 78°00′34″E World Brachyactis roylei (DC.) Keylong (3335), 9/2x 57 21.2±2.4×20.4±1.6 First chromosome report Wendelbo 52778 (3) 32°34′19″N, 77°02′07″E from World Erigeron alpinus L. 52797 (3) Keylong (3335), 9/2x 60 21.4±1.2×24.3±0.6 New report from the 32°34′19″N, 77°02′07″E district E. borealis (Vierh.) Simm Baralacha La (4883), 9/2x 84 24.3±0.6×24.3±0.6 First chromosome report 52796 (4) 32°45′37″N, 77°25′12″E from India E. umbrosus (Kar. & Kir.) Boiss Koksar (3160), 9/2x 95 14.2±0.9×15.4±1.6 First chromosome report 52777 (7) 32°24′30″N, 77°15′5″E from World Tribe: Cynareae Arctium lappa L. 52794 (3) Koksar (3140), 17/2x 89 22.2±0.8×23.4±1.2 Varied chromosome 32°24′30″N, 77°15′5″E report from the World Cousinia thomsonii C. B. Chhatru (3360), 12/2x 80 27.8±1.3×28.7±0.9 First chromosome report Clarke. 57517 (5) from world Saussurea heteromalla (D. Don) Koksar (3140), 8/2x 90 38.1± 1.5×37.5±1.8 Varied chromosome Hand.-Mazz. 58532 (3) 32°24′30″N, 77°15′5″E report from World S. jacea (Klotzsch) C. B. Tandi, Keylong (3335), 17/2x 88 31.3±0.9×32.1±1.3 Varied chromosome Clarke. 57516 (4) 32°34′40″N, 77°1′36″E report from World Tribe: Cichoreae Hieracium crocatum Fries Trilokinath (2760), 5/2x 88 15.0±0.6×20.0±0.9 First chromosome report 52760 (6) 32°42′0″N, 76°41′0″E from World H. umbellatum L. Keylong (3080), 27/6x 91 16.8±0.7×20.1±1.2 Varied chromosome 52774 (3) 32°34′19″N, 77°02′07″E report from World Lactuca brunoniana (Wallich) Tandi, Keylong (2960), 8/2x 90 22.9±1.6×23.6±1.1 New report from the C. B. Clarke. 52764 (5) 32°34′40″N, 77°1′36″E district La. dolichophylla Kitam Sissu, Lahaul (3100), 8/2x 79 22.9±0.9×21.3±0.4 New report from the 57504 (7) 32°29′0″N, 77°7′0″E district La. lessertiana (Wallich ex DC.) Batal, Spiti (4300), 8/2x 70 22.1±0.9×23.8±1.3 First chromosome report C. B. Clarke. 52766 (6) 32°21′28″N, 77°37′10″E from India Tragopogon dubius Scop. Keylong (3080), 14/4x 90 20.0±1.3×22.0±0.8 Varied chromosome 57505 (6) 32°34′19″N, 77°02′07″E reports from World T. gracilis D. Don 52769 (3) Sissu (3100), 7/2x 70 22.7±0.7×20.1±1.4 Varied chromosome 32°29′0″N, 77°7′0″E report from World Youngia glauca Cass. 52773 (4) Zingzingbar (4270), 7/2x 83 18.6±1.1×19.9±1.4 First chromosome report 32°47′30″N, 77°19′28″E from World Y. tenuifolia (Willd.) Babcock & Jispa (3200), 5/2x 87 17.9±0.9×20.1±1.2 First chromosome report Stebbins 52771 (4) 32°38′0″N, 77°10′0″E from India Tribe: Inulae A. contorta (D. Don) HooK. f. Keylong (3340), 14/4x 70 26.4±1.3×29.1±1.4 New report from the Willd. 52782 (3) 32°34′19″N, 77°02′07″E district Inula grandiflora 52781 (4) Gondhla (3160), 8/2x 79 23.5±1.2×23.1±0.9 New report from the 32°28′14″N, 77°00′02″E district Leontopodium alpinum Cass. Chandra Tal Lake (4300), 12/2x 68 31.6±1.4×33.2±1.3 New report from the 57494 (5) 32°28′57″N, 77°36′53″E district *Numbers in the parenthesis represent the number of individual considered for the present study from a particular population.