Molecular and ecological study of Eryngium species in Syria

Eryngium L. species growing in Syria were characterized using morphological, geographical and molecular analyses (IRAP and RAPD). Eight Eryngium L. species have been determined to exist in Syria. E. glomeratum, E. campestre and E. falcatum were found to grow in the mountain regions. E. creticum and E. desertorum were found to grow in variant environments: mountains, semidesert and saline environments, which indicate their wide range of adaptation and tolerance to abiotic stresses.E. maritimum was the only species found to grow on the coastal sandy beaches suggesting that it is adapted to sandy, saline and humid environments. The two PCR-based techniques showed that E. pussilum and E. billardieri were the most distal to all other species. E. pussilum is found to grow in Leftaya region, which is a swamps area similar to the typical habitat for American Eryngiums. The most related species were E. glomeratum and E. campestre, which were mainly found in mountainous regions, followed by E. desertorum, E. falcatum, and E. creticum.