بررسى هاى ميكرومورفولوژيكى قدومه ( Brassicaceae ) Alyssum L.

Micromorphological study on several Alyssum L, species (Brassicaceae) of Iran

Seed coat morphology is an excellent characters for taxonomic and evolutionary studies. Thus, understanding its structure and development has set an important goal for biologists. Alyssum genus belongs to the Brassicaceae family with 36 annual and perennial species. These species are polymorphic in morphological characters, making their identification difficult. In this study, seed micromorphological characters of eight Alyssum species were examined through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Sculpture, size and the thickness of cell walls as well as the shape of cells in the seed were assay ed. Presence or absence of the wing around the seed and the ornamentation are important factors in distinguishing the Alyssum species. Based on our results, subspecies of the three species A. desert arum, A. linifolium and A. minus were distinguished from each other using the micro-morphological characters.