(2010)  Page(s) 231–237.  
 
Genetic diversity and genetic similarities between Iranian rose species 
By L. SAMIEI, et al.
Ten microsatellite (simple sequence repeat; SSR) markers were used to analyse the genetic variation among these rose species. The SSR markers amplified alleles in all species, even if they were from different sections within the genus. An unweighted pair group method cluster analysis (UPGMA) based on similarity values revealed five main Groups. The data showed no support for any distinction between R. canina and R. iberica, as all the accessions were placed in one Group, and accessions of these two species were more closely-related to each other within a Province than to accessions of the same species in other Provinces.

The morphological differences between these two species are very slight. According to Rechinger (1982), the presence of hairs on the hip and a somewhat more-rounded hip distinguishes R. iberica from R. canina. Moreover, these morphological traits are environment-dependent.