Abstract
Clematis, a widely distributed genus in Ranunculaceae, is one of the most difficult groups of taxa in the family from a taxonomic point of view. A comprehensive study on achene morphology and the anatomy of 19 taxa of Clematis from Korea was carried out using scanning electron and light microscopy to evaluate the taxonomic significance of achene characters. Clematis achenes are elliptical, obovate or fusiform in shape, light yellow or brown to black in color and completely or sparsely covered with hairs. The permanent style is elongated and plumose in all the studied taxa except C. brachyura. We found that the size, indument, permanent style, surface sculpture, shape in cross-section, and nature and thickness of the exocarp, and endocarp were valuable achene features for species delimitation and may contribute to the unraveling of the taxonomic problems in the genus Clematis. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the quantitative achene variables among the species were highly significant (p < 0.001). Principal component analyses based on seven quantitative characters and UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean) analysis based on seven quantitative and 18 qualitative characters also signify the utility of achene features for taxonomic discriminations of the Clematis taxa within the genus. Similar to other morphological characters in the genus Clematis, achene morphological and anatomical characters with the limited taxonomic value alone cannot be expected to resolve the infrageneric relationships but certain achene features combined with other morphological features could be useful as an alternative means of determining the infrageneric relationships within the genus.
Highlights
Clematis L. is one of the largest genera in Ranunculaceae with about 280–350 species [1,2,3] most of which are woody or herbaceous vines, but a few are shrubs, subshrubs, or erect perennial herbs.The genus is widely distributed throughout the world but with considerable diversity in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, especially eastern Asia
Principal component analyses based on seven quantitative characters and UPGMA analysis based on seven quantitative and 18 qualitative characters signify the utility of achene features for taxonomic discriminations of the Clematis taxa within the genus
We provide a comprehensive investigation of achene morphology and the anatomy of
Summary
Clematis L. is one of the largest genera in Ranunculaceae with about 280–350 species [1,2,3] most of which are woody or herbaceous vines, but a few are shrubs, subshrubs, or erect perennial herbs. The genus is widely distributed throughout the world but with considerable diversity in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, especially eastern Asia. China, which is believed to be the center of diversity of the genus, alone has 147 species, of which 93 are endemic [4,5,6]. Showy flowers, and easy hybridization process make Clematis a horticulturally important genus that is widely cultivated in Europe, North America, and East Asian countries [7]. Tamura [1] divided Clematis into four subgenera including 16 sections some of which were subdivided into subsections and series. Grey-Wilson [4] later grouped 297 species in nine subgenera, 16 sections, and 26 subsections whereas Johnson [5] recognized 18 sections and 36 subsections
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