MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AND TRANSPLANTATION ATTEMPTS ON SOME ENDEMIC SPECIES OF NORTHERN CYPRUS

The aim of this study was to investigate the morphology of 10 endemic taxa Pimpinella cypria, Ferulago cypria, Limonium albidum subsp. cyprium, Onosma caespitosum, Origanum syriacum var. bevanii, Salvia veneris, Sideritis cypria, Phlomis cypria var. cypria, Scutellaria sibthorpii and Teucrium cyprium subsp. kyreniae distributed in Northern Cyprus. These belong to the families Apiaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Boraginaceae, and Lamiaceae. All these species are distributed only on the Beshparmak mountains in the northern part of Cyprus and arc under a threat of extinction due to severe habitat degradation arising from human activities, forests fires and stone queries. The micrographs of the seeds were taken by means of trinocular stereo dissection microscope, and detailed morphological features recorded from the fresh and dried samples collected during 2001-2004. An attempt has been made for transplantation of these species to some protected sites.