Morphological and Genetic Variation in Wild Herb Species

Dear Colleagues,

A large number of medicinal plant species are still exploited from native populations in wild habitats all over the world, to obtain special active compounds used for therapeutic purposes. In general, wild herbs exhibit great morphological and chemical diversity as a consequence of various genetic and environmental factors. Genetic polymorphism existing in indigenous populations is likely to be influenced by the adaptation to diverse environmental factors. Wild herb populations provide rich sources of raw materials for different industrial purposes, however, with variable active compound amounts and patterns, as a result of changing conditions. Nowadays, gene expression studies provide valuable information about the background of active compound accumulation, and control mechanisms exist in different medicinal plant species. Characterization of wild herb taxa with the use of molecular biological techniques is a modern approach to the discovery of intraspecific taxonomic differences. Exploring morphological and chemical variability is an essential tool in the conservation of medicinal plant genetic resources as well as a basis for the improvement of new cultivars for growing.

In this Special Issue of Plants, our aim is to provide invaluable information on recent findings from the front line of research, concerning morphological and genetic variation in wild herb species. We welcome submissions in the form of original papers on the recent advances of morphological, genetic and biochemical studies as well as reviews of the field.

Guest Editor

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• chemical diversity
• genetic polymorphism
• medicinal and aromatic plants
• natural habitat
• molecular markers
• phytochemical analysis
• intraspecific taxa
• chemotaxonomy
• morphological and chemical variability
• chemovarieties