Numerical Analysis To Anatomical Structures Of Needles Between Pinus Henryi And Its Relative Species

The phylogenetic position of Pinus henryi is still unclear nowadays. In order to unveil its relationship with other sibling species and the diversity among different populations of both P. henryi and P. tabuliformis , we analyzed 20 anatomical structural characteristics with statistical method from over 500 samples in 36 populations from Pinus henryi, P. tabuliformis, P. massoniana, P. taiwanensis and P. yunnanensis. By using these numbers we clustered 14 typical populations of five species, and defined a metric to analyze the diversity among 31 populations of P. henryi and P. tabuliformis. The results conclude that these five pines have high diversity at morphological level. Compared with other three pines, the first two species and the last three species have distinct characteristics in the location and quantity of resin ducts in needles, which could be used for classification. P. henryi and P. tabuliformis have similar structural characteristics and noticeable sibling relationship; moreover the two have high diversity at morphological level between and within their populations. It is hard to identify P. henryi and P. tabuliformis with anatomical features. We should protect and utilize these special pine resources in China.