Microsculpture of cypselae surface of Baccharis sect. Caulopterae (Asteraceae) from Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize the microsculpture of the cypselae surface of the Brazilian species of Baccharis L. sect. Caulopterae DC. (Asteraceae), and to compare this data it with the taxonomy of the group. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the cypsela surface of 25 taxa of Baccharis sect. Caulopterae from Brazil. According to the micromorphology of the cypsela surface, the species can be classified into five distinct groups. The cypselae of the species of the Baccharis trimera species complex (B. crispa, B. cylindrica, B. jocheniana, B. myriocephala, and B. trimera) share the same micromorphological features.

Keywords

• achene
• carpology
• carqueja
• compositae
• micromorphology
• sem
• taxonomy