Science Department, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, NY 11225. The taxonomic status of Helianthemum dumosum , the rare and endangered Bushy Rockrose, was investigated using morphological and molecular methods. However, it is often confused with the geographically widespread and sympatric close relative, H. canadense , and morphological intermediates between the two have been found. We performed multivariate statistical analyses and a comparative cladistic analysis between the ISSR data and morphological data.
Preliminary results indicate that a pattern of clinal variation between the two taxa exists.