The genus Viola, which belongs to the family Violaceae, includes more than 500 species distributed worldwide, ranging from the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere to the tropics and subtropics. First described in the 18th century, this genus encompasses both annual and perennial herbaceous plants. In this study, we focused on the morphological and genetic characteristics of Viola species to better understand their biodiversity and contribute to their conservation. Morphological traits, such as the shape and size of leaves, flowers, and stems, as well as flower color, are key for distinguishing between species. For the 50 collected samples of various species, we measured genome
size using flow cytometry, revealing that genome size varies among species. The smallest average 2C value was recorded for Viola reichenbachiana Jord ex. Boreau, while the largest average 2C value was found in Viola x wittrockiana. One of the main challenges in ribosomal DNA analysis is the presence of secondary metabolites, which complicate DNA isolation and subsequent analyses. We found that the CTAB method was not effective for all species, necessitating adjustments or the use of alternative methods. Successful PCR reactions allowed for the determination of ribosomal DNA
nucleotide sequences in 26 samples of different species, which we compared with NCBI BLAST databases. Ribosomal DNA sequencing showed that although the percentage of genetic identity among species is relatively high, there are distinct variations that allow differentiation between individual species.
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