Caryological and morphological investigations on a new zinc violet (Cave del predil, Western Julian Alps, NE-Italy)

Abstract

Caryological and morphological analyses were conducted on Viola tricolor subsp. subalpina and on a zinc violet from the Western Julian Alps, described as Viola tricolor subsp. subalpina var. raiblensis var. nova. Both taxa, which have different ecology and distribution, have 2n = 26 chromosomes. Caryotypic evolution in the zinc violet mainly involves changes in absolute chromosome size and in centromeric and relative size simmetry in respect with var. subalpina, from which it appears to have evolved.