Anatomical and Ecological Investigations on Some Salvia L. (Lamiaceae) Species Growing Naturally in the Vicinity of Balıkesir

Abstract

This study proposes to present a comparative analysis of the anatomical and ecological characteristics of three Salvia L. species (S. argentea, S. aethiopsis, S. viridis) collected from various localities of Balıkesir province. The only S. viridis is an annual. Anatomical examination was made of cross sections obtained from stems and leaves, in addition to examining leaf surface sections to determine stoma type. All anatomical sections obtained were photographed. While the stem anatomies of all species generally resembled one another we did not observe sclerenchyma tissue in the S. viridis. Ecological investigation included physical (texture, pH, lime (CaCO3), total salt) and chemical (N, P, K, organic matter) analysis of soil samples taken from the various localities. In general the structure of the soil over which the species had spread showed similarity.