Golaleh MOSTAFAVI, Mostafa ASSADI, Taher NEJADSATTARI, Fariba SHARIFNIA, İraj MEHREGAN

Seed micromorphological survey of the Minuartia species (Caryophyllaceae) in Iran

Seed micromorphology of 20 species of Minuartia L. (Caryophyllaceae) that represent 2 different subgenera (i.e. Minuartia subgen. Spergella (Fenzl) McNeill and Minuartia subgen. Minuartia) were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Some qualitative and quantitative characters such as seed length and width, seed shape, cell shape, and cell ornamentations were studied. The results showed that seed micromorphology might provide useful tools in recognition and separation of Minuartia hamata (Hausskn.) Mattf. from other species of sect. Minuartia. Minuartia khorassanica Assadi & Mostafavi, a recently described species from Iran, is another species that micromorphologically was quite different. The species M. juniperina (L.) Maire & Petitm., belonging to sect. Acutiflorae (Fenzl) Hayek, was completely distinct from other species in this section by having glandular papillae on the cell surface. As a result, seed micromorphology with a few exceptions showed variation and its taxonomic value was significant in distinguishing taxa at the species level.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Key words: Caryophyllaceae, Minuartia, seed micromorphology, taxonomy, Iran

Seed micromorphological survey of the Minuartia species (Caryophyllaceae) in Iran

Keywords:

Key words: Caryophyllaceae, Minuartia, seed micromorphology, taxonomy, Iran,

PDF

___

Amini E, Zarre SH & Assadi M (2011). Seed micromorphology and its systematic significance in Gypsophila (Caryophyllaceae) and allied genera. Nordic Journal of Botany 29: 660–669.
Barkoudah YI (1962). A revision of Gypsophila, Bolanthus, Ankyropetalum and Phryna. Wentia 9: 1–203.
Bittrich V (1993). Caryophyllaceae. In: Kubitzki K, Rohwer JG & Bittrich V (eds.) The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Vol. 2, Flowering Plants Dicotyledons: Magnoliid, Hamamelid, and Caryophyllid Families, pp. 206–236. Berlin: Springer.
Çelebioğlu T, Favarger C & Huynh KL (1983). Contribution a la micromorphologie de la testa des graines du genre Minuartia (Caryophyllaceae) I. sect. Minuartia. Adansonia 4: 415–435.
Crow GE (1979). The systematic significance of seed morphology in Sagina (Caryophyllaceae) under scanning electron microscopy. Brittonia 31: 52–63.
Eröz Poyraz İ & Ataşlar E (2010). Pollen and seed morphology of Velezia L. (Caryophyllaceae) genus in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Botany 34: 179–190. Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Mrs S Eshghi and Mr A Rezaie for preparing SEM micrographs. Also, thanks to the colleagues in the herbaria TARI and FUMH for providing herbarium materials.