Low level of inter-populational differentiation in Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. (Cupressaceae)

The intra- and inter-population variation in three populations of Juniperus excelsa, two from Crimea and one from the Balkan Peninsula, were analyzed biometrically. Fourteen morphological characters of cones, seeds, shoots and leaves were used. The number of seeds per cone appears to be the most variable character. The others were more stable. Differences among particular individuals within the samples were slight, as well as between populations compared. The Crimean samples were very close to each other, while the more geographically distant sample from the Balkan Peninsula appears also to be morphologically more separate. This suggests that the Balkan populations originated from another Pleistocene refugium. The Crimean populations did not show the reduction of variability, which could have resulted from their geographical isolation and their considerably restricted numbers of individuals.