CHARACTERIZATION OF 5 IMPROVED VARIETIES AND ONE WILD ACCESSION OF LILY OF THE VALLEY (CONVALLARIA-MAJALIS L) BY ISOZYME ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF GENETIC DISTANCES

Five cultivated forms and one wild accession of Lily of the Valley, Co nvallaria majalis L., have been investigated to estimate their genetic diversity and their genetic distances. Five enzyme systems were studi ed: esterase, acid phosphatase, peroxydase, phosphoglucomutase and sup eroxyde dismutase. Esterase system gave the lowest polymorphism, perox ydase and phosphoglucomutase systems gave the highest polymorphism. Gr andiflora of Nantes, German and Fortunea Lily of the Valley appeared t o be genetically different. In addition the Fortunea type which is a t etraploid form does not result in a polyploidization of any diploid ty pes studied in this report. These cultivated forms would be the result of a natural and/or directed selection from wild Lily of the Valley.