Meiotic studies in some selected angiosperms from the Kashmir Himalayas

Abstract As a part of our program to explore and evaluate genetic diversity of flowering plants of the Kashmir Himalayas, meiotic studies have been carried out on 150 wild species. Of these, Caltha alba (2n= 32), Delphinium roylei (2n= 16), D. uncinatum (2n= 16), Ranunculus palmatifidus (2n= 28), and Sedum heterodontum (2n= 14) have been cytologically worked out for the first time. New intraspecific diploid or polyploid cytotypes have been recorded for Alchemilla vulgaris (2n= 34, 96), Arabis amplexicaulis (2n= 16), Impatiens amphorata (2n= 14), I. racemosa (2n= 12), I. sulcata (2n= 16, 12), Meconopsis latifolia (2n= 14), Potentilla supina (2n= 14), Saxifraga cernua (2n= 16), Sium latijugam (2n= 24), and Vicatia coniifolia (2n= 44). Four species, Arabidopsis thaliana (2n= 10), Berberis vulgaris (2n= 28), Potentilla nubicola (2n= 14), and P. sericea (2n= 28), have been cytologically reported for the first time from India. A large number of meiotic abnormalities have been observed in most of these species, leading to a reduction in pollen fertility and production of heterogeneous‐sized pollen grains.