Comparative analysis of seed morphology in genus Scutellaria L.

Abstract

The genus Scutellaria L. comprises about 400 - 500 species, some of which are of practical value due to their biological activities. To prevent misidentification and contamination of plant material harvested from species of this genus, knowledge of the morphological and micromorphological characters of the seeds has proved useful. The present paper aims to perform a morphological and micromorphological characterization of seeds belonging to 12 taxa of the genus Scutellaria L., with the idea of completing the literature data and discussing the importance of these characters. The seeds of the analysed taxa showed different colours (yellow, black, brown) and ornamentations (generated by the arrangement and shape of the epidermal papillae). In some taxa, the seeds were glabrous (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, S. resinosa Torr., S. suffrutescens S. Watson., S. incana Spreng., S. integrifolia L.), others showed tector hairs concentrated in the apical region of the epidermal papillae (S. altissima L.) or distributed over the entire surface (S. orientalis L., S. supina L., S. orientalis L. var. pinnatifida Rchb.), covering the whole or part (S. pontica K. Koch.) of the seed surface. Sessile glands were observed in S. galericulata L., among the papillae, whereas S. alpina L., presented stellate hairs. Seed sizes also varied between the taxa. The results obtained confirm the taxonomic importance of the analysed features but indicate that the correct identification of Scutellaria species cannot be performed based only on seed characteristics, requiring additional research and observations.

Keywords

• dispersals
• morphology
• micromorphology
• seeds
• Scutellaria
• taxonomy