Abstract
Intraspecific variation in Tanacetum vulgare L. has been documented, but it remains unclear which morphological and anatomical traits differ among localities in Kokshetau State National Nature Park and whether the principal stem and leaf organization remains shared. This study compared flowering plants collected from one locality in each of the park’s five branches. Nine morphological traits were measured in 100 plants (20 per locality), and stem and leaf anatomy was examined in 50 plants (10 per locality). Flower and leaf extracts from one locality were also assessed descriptively by 1H NMR. Morphological differences among localities were most evident in plant height, leaf dimensions, and flower head number. Plants from Shalkar had the highest mean height (58.70 ± 6.25 cm), leaf width (7.95 ± 1.15 cm), and flower head number per shoot (45.15 ± 13.66), whereas shoot diameter showed no significant difference among localities. Across the pooled sample, plant height was positively correlated with the number of lateral axes (r = 0.781). The principal organization of the stem and the isobilateral structure of the leaf were shared across localities, although pith cell dimensions and selected leaf tissue measurements differed. Flower and leaf extracts produced distinguishable NMR signals, but individual compounds were not identified. By comparing morphology and anatomy across five park localities, this study documents quantitative trait variation within a shared structural pattern and provides a baseline for future comparisons in northern Kazakhstan. Because each branch was represented by one locality and environmental and genetic factors were not measured, the causes of the observed differences remain unresolved.