Pollen and seed morphology of three species of Reseda L. in Sicily and relationship with their systematic position

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pollen and seeds of Reseda alba L., R. lutea L. and R. luteola L., present in Sicily, are characterized. The correlation between pollen and seed characters with karyological data reported for the genera Sesamoides Ortega and Reseda L. established that, given the same basic chromosome number x=5, the tuberculate ornamentation of the seed coat has not undergone any modification whereas the finely reticulate sculpturing of pollen grains of the genus Sesamoides (more primitive) has changea into the reticulate type in sect. Leucoreseda DC. of the genus Reseda (more evolved). In sections of the genus Reseda in which aneuploid modifications have taken place (sect. Phyteuma L., Resedastrum Duby, Luteola Dumort., Glaucoreseda DC.) the finely reticulate pattern in pollen grains has persisted (Sesamoides type), whereas the ornamentation of the seed coat has evolved from tuberculate (genus Sesamoides and sect. Leucoreseda) to more or less reticulate. On the basis of pollen and seed characteristics the affinity between R. alba and R. lutea, as proposed by taxonomists, was not confirmed. In contrast, R. lutea and R. luteola were found to be closely related.