Seed Macro- And Micro-Morphology of Some Species Of Kickxia Dumort, Scrophularia L. And Plantago L. From Saudi Arabia

Luluah M Al Masoudi,Najat A Bukhari,Mona Al Whibi

doi:10.3329/bjpt.v28i2.57134

Luluah M Al Masoudi, Najat A Bukhari + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v28i2.57134

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Abstract

The seed macro- and micro-morphological characters of 13 species belonging to three genera; Kickxia Dumort, Scrophularia L. and Plantago L., collected from different localities of Saudi Arabia, were studied using a Stereomicroscope and Scanning Electron Microscope for evaluating their taxonomic relationships. Three macro-morphological characters of seeds were shape, size, and color while three diagnostic micromorphological characters were seed coat sculpture, the anticlinal and periclinal wall., The seed shape seems to be specific in Plantago L. (peltate, angled) than the two other genera while the color and seed size show little importance. The Plantago L. has a specific rugose sculpture while the other two genera have either tuberculate or alveolate. So Plantago L. was possessed no affinities to Kickxia Dumor or Scrophularia L.. This observation gives extra support to the earlier taxonomic views that suggested the retention of two genera in the traditional family Scrophulariaceae and maintaining Plantago L. in a separate monogeneric family Plantaginaceae Detailed analysis of seed characters of more species is needed to clarify the systematic relationships between the three genera. A key to the identification of studied species based on seed micro- and macro-morphological characters is provide. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 28(2): 385-393, 2021 (December)

Highlights

Scrophulariaceae is a large worldwide family (Miranda, 1988), with approximately 222 genera and 4480 species (Willis, 1973), mostly found in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere (Heywood, 1985).The Kickxia Dumort (Scrophulariaceae) is one of the most important genera, with roughly 47 species (Mabberley, 1997)
The genus is represented in Saudi Arabia by 10 species (Chaudhary, 2001), the majority of which are found in the south and west of the country
The purpose of this study is to describe the seed morphological features in details to assess their utility in understanding the relationships among the three taxa analyzed (Kickxia, Scrophularia and Plantago)

Summary

Introduction

Scrophulariaceae is a large worldwide family (Miranda, 1988), with approximately 222 genera and 4480 species (Willis, 1973), mostly found in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere (Heywood, 1985).The Kickxia Dumort (Scrophulariaceae) is one of the most important genera, with roughly 47 species (Mabberley, 1997). Scrophulariaceae is a large worldwide family (Miranda, 1988), with approximately 222 genera and 4480 species (Willis, 1973), mostly found in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere (Heywood, 1985). The genus is represented in Saudi Arabia by 10 species (Chaudhary, 2001), the majority of which are found in the south and west of the country. (Scrophulariaceae) is another major genus with over 300 species represented in both the ancient and modern worlds (Lersten and Curtis, 1997). It is represented by four species in Saudi Arabia (Chaudhary, 2001). The Plantaginaceae is a worldwide family of three genera: Plantago, Littorella, and Bougueria, which grow in a variety of environments (Bentham, 1846; Wettstein, 1891; Dahlgren, 1975; Cronquist, 1981; Heywood, 1993; Takhtajan, 1997)

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