Morphological characterization and degree of similarity between rosebush rootstocks (Rosa spp.).

Abstract

A morphological characterization of rosebush rootstocks was made with basis on the following plant descriptors: leaves, leaflets, stipules, stems, and aculei of eight month old plants. A completely random design with 2 treatments and 4 repetitions was used. Means were compared by the Scott-Knott test. Distances were measured by the method of “Euclidean Distance Mean”. The largest distance (2.83) was found between rootstocks R. multiflora ‘Japonês’ and R. sp. “Califórnia”, and the smallest distance (0.58) between rootstocks R. multiflora ‘Paulista’ and R. sp. “Léo de Moraes”. The rootstocks grouping was made by the Tocher optimization method. Three groups of similarity were formed. The joint analysis of the groups and the qualitative morphological characteristics showed the twelve rootstocks to be diverse.Additional keywords: leaf morphology; diversity; ornamental plants.