구절초 무리는 국내에 분포하는 국화속 중 흰색 또는 분홍색의 설상화를 가지는 특징으로 인해 다른 두 종과 구별되는데 외부형태학적 변이로 인하여 다양한 분류학적 견해가 제안되어 온 분류군이다. 본 연구에서는 지금까지 국화속의 종 및 종내 분류군을 인식하기 위해 이용되어 온 형태학적 형질 중 구절초 무리내의 종내 분류군을 인식하기 위한 특징의 일부로서 사용된 바 있는 잎의 두께에 주목하여 구절초 무리에 속하는 13개 집단과 근연종인 산국 및 감국의 4개 집단을 이용하여 잎의 구조적 특징을 확인하였다. 이를 위해 잎의 횡단절편을 제작하여 엽신의 두께와 세포층 수, 세포의 크기를 비교하였다. 잎의 두께를 확인해본 결과 산국, 감국, 구절초 무리 순으로 두꺼운 것으로 나타났으며 세 종 모두 9개 전후의 세포층으로 구성되어 있어 잎의 두께는 세포층 수가 아니라 세포 크기에 따라 달라지는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 구절초 무리 내에서는 집단 간에 잎의 형태 및 두께에서 다양한 변이를 보였는데 가는잎구절초, 바위구절초, 울릉구절초, 한라구절초 등 특히 제한적인 분포를 보이는 분류군들이 전국적인 분포를 보이는 분류군에 비해 상대적으로 두꺼운 잎을 가지는 것이 확인되었고, 이는 각 분류군이 고유의 서식환경에 적응한 결과로 생각된다.

The Chrysanthemum zawadskii complex is demarcated from other species by having the white and pink ligulate flowers. Its morphological characters are greatly diversified, so that various classification systems have been suggested. The character of leaf thickness has been mentioned as the characteristic for recognizing some of infra-specific taxa within this complex. In this study, we used longitudinal leaf sections to investigate the leaf thickness and cell number of leaf blades of 13 populations including those of the members of the C. zawadskii complex, as well as 4 populations of the related species of C. boreale and C. indicum. From the result, it was clear that the leaves were thicker in populations of C. boreale, C. indicum and C. zawadskii complex (diminishing in that order), and that the leaves were composed of about 9 cell layers in all populations. Within the C. zawadskii complex, leaf shape and thickness varied among the populations. It was very interesting that the taxa with restricted distribution, like C. zawadskii var. tenuisectum, C. zawadskii var. alpinum, C. zawadskii var. lucidum, and C. zawadskii subsp. coreanum had a thicker leaves than found among widely occurring taxa. From this, leaf thickness is supposed to be an adaptation to the unique habitat of each population.

The Chrysanthemum zawadskii complex is demarcated from other species by having the white and pink ligulate flowers. Its morphological characters are greatly diversified, so that various classification systems have been suggested. The character of leaf thickness has been mentioned as the characteristic for recognizing some of infra-specific taxa within this complex. In this study, we used longitudinal leaf sections to investigate the leaf thickness and cell number of leaf blades of 13 populations including those of the members of the C. zawadskii complex, as well as 4 populations of the related species of C. boreale and C. indicum. From the result, it was clear that the leaves were thicker in populations of C. boreale, C. indicum and C. zawadskii complex (diminishing in that order), and that the leaves were composed of about 9 cell layers in all populations. Within the C. zawadskii complex, leaf shape and thickness varied among the populations. It was very interesting that the taxa with restricted distribution, like C. zawadskii var. tenuisectum, C. zawadskii var. alpinum, C. zawadskii var. lucidum, and C. zawadskii subsp. coreanum had a thicker leaves than found among widely occurring taxa. From this, leaf thickness is supposed to be an adaptation to the unique habitat of each population.

Chrysanthemum zawadskii complex, C. boreale, C. indicum, leaf thickness, infra-specific variation