Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Botany and microbiology department, faculty of science, Al -azhar university, cairo.
2
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys Branch), Al- Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
3
Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science (Girls Branch), Al- Azhar University,Cairo, Egypt
4
botany &; microbiology department - faculty of science - Al Azhar university girls branch
Abstract
An investigation of fruit, mericarp and seed macro and micro morphology of seventeen species, belonging to nine genera of Malvaceae was performed through light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate their taxonomic significance. The studied species demonstrated heterogeneous characteristics of the fruits, mericarp, seeds as shown in general shape, size, color, surface shape, hilum position, anticlinal and periclinal wall were observed under stereomicroscope. According to the seed coat patterns seen through SEM, seed of the studied species showed four different patterns: reticulate, reticulate foveate, reticulate rugose, and scalariform. PRIMER (software, version 6) statistical program used to get morphometric analysis. The numerical analysis revealed two main clusters and four groups. Cluster 1 consisted of four species, Abelomochus esculentus, Gossypium barbadense, Hibiscus sabdariffa, and Hibiscus trionum. Cluster 2 contains 13 species and was divided into two groups. Group (1) was divided into two subgroups. Subgroup (a) included four species and was separated into a distinct subgroup. Subgroup (b) consisted of one species, Sida alba, whereas the second group (2) contained eight species, which were further split into two subgroups; subgroup (c) included seven species, while subgroup (d) had one species, Alcea rosea.
Generally, the variation in fruit, mericarp and seed characters is useful for the identification and to separate closely related Malvaceae species.
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