Should Cardaria draba (L.) DESV. be classified within the genus Lepidium L. (Brassicaceae)? Evidence from subunit polypeptide composition of RUBISCO

Abstract

The polypeptide composition of the large and small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxy-genase (RUBISCO) from Cardaria draba (L.) DESV. (Brassicaceae) and from representatives of the related genus Lepidium L. have been studied by isoelectric focusing (IEF) analysis. In the literature Cardaria DESV. is either treated as a separate genus or as a section within the genus Lepidium Cardaria draba (L.) DESV. and three Lepidium taxa of section Lepia (DESV.) DC. are characterized by identical polypeptide patterns otherwise not found in Lepidium. RUBISCO data would preliminarily suggest that C. draba has its closest relatives within Lepidium section Lepia and therefore could possibly be placed best within this section. Copyright © 1995 Wiley-VCH