Biologia 66/3: 439—447, 2011 Section Botany DOI: 10.2478/s11756-011-0036-z Morphological, anatomical and cytological investigation on endemic Lamium moschatum var. rhodium Pelin Baran & Canan ¨ Ozdemir Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Biology, Manisa, Turkey; e-mail: pelinbaran@gmail.com, cozdemir13@gmail.com Abstract: In this study, the morphological and anatomical features of endemic Lamium moschatum Miller var. rhodium (Gand.) R. Mill (Lamiaceae) are described in detail. Lamium moschatum var. rhodium has an annual taproot. The stem is erect and clearly quadrangular. The leaves are broadly ovate to cordate-ovate or nearly suborbicular in shape. Inflorescense is verticillate cyme. The corolla is white and the tube is curved and bears an annulus inside, near the base. Cross-sections of the root, stem, petiole, leaf, calyx, corolla and generative organs were examined and the anatomical features of the taxon are discussed. Furthermore, glandular hairs distributed on the plant taxon are shown. In karyological research, chromosome numbers were determined as 2n = 18. The results are presented with photographs and tables. Key words: Lamium moschatum var. rhodium; anatomy; cytology; Lamiaceae; morphology Introduction The type genus of Lamiaceae is Lamium L. (Harley 2003) which comprises about 40 species of herbaceous annuals and perennials occurs from North Africa to Eurasia (Mennema 1989; Malberley 1997). The distri- bution area of the genus reaches from Western Europe to Eastern Asia, including Northern Africa, North of the Atlas Mountains and Macaronesia (A¸cores, Madeira and the Canary Islands), approximately between 65 and 30 ◦ Northern latitude. It is not quite clear whether the occurrence of the genus Lamium in Macaronesia is natural or due to introduction by man. Outside the natural area a small number of taxa was introduced and sometimes naturalized in Greenland and Iceland, in the Americas, Australia and Tropical and South Africa. The centre of diversity of the genus is obviously found in the Irano-Turanian and the Mediterranean regions (Mennema 1989). About 30 Lamium species naturally exist in Turkey and approximately 23 taxa including varieties and subspecies are endemic. Lamium moscha- tum Miller var. rhodium (Gand.) R. Mill, the investi- gated taxon, is one of the endemic species in Turkey (Mill 1982; Davis et al. 1988; G¨ uner et al. 2000). Some Lamium species have been used in the offi- cial and folk medicines as blood tonic, uterotonic, anti- inflammatory, astringent, antispasmodic, mucolytic, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-proliferative agents and are considered useful remedies in menorrhagia and inter- menstrual bleeding, uterine hemorrhage, vaginal and cervical inflammation, prostatitis and in the treatment of scrofula, trauma, fracture, hypertension, leukorrhea, putrescence, injuries from falls, paralysis, chronic bron- chitis or pharyngitis and for the regulation of seba- ceous secretions in Anatolia, some parts of Europe and China (Bremness 1995; Baytop 1999; Cui al. 2003). For this reason, many studies were conducted on the phyto- chemical constituents of Lamium species and their bio- logical activities (Savchenko et al. 2001; Flamini et al. 2005; Alipieva et al. 2007; Ers¨oz et al. 2007; Paduch et al. 2007). In addition, they are traditionally con- sumed as food in some countries (Bremness 1995; Bay- top 1999; Cui et al. 2003). On the other hand, although Lamium spp. are self-pollinated and self-compatible, they are frequently visited by honeybees and bumblebee queens and serve as ecologically important hosts for a number of other insect species (Savchenko et al. 2001; Macior 1978; S¨onmez & Altan 1992; Sıralı & Deveci 2002; Sabuncu et al. 2002; Eltz 2006). In addition, some Lamium species have been deemed ornamental and well suited to a variety of growing conditions (Rudy 2004). A taxonomical revision of the genus Lamium, mainly based on the study of herbarium collections, was made by Mennema in 1989. Few studies on chromosome numbers and systematic implications of pollen mor- phology of some Lamium species are also available (Gill 1983; Abu-Asab & Cantino 1994). There is no morpho- logical and anatomical study resembling this work be- longing to Lamium species in the literature, except the study recently done on L. lycium (Baran & ¨ Ozdemir 2009). Material and methods Plant samples were collected from natural populations and were used subsequently for morphological and anatomical c 2011 Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences