Micromorphological studies on inflorescence and seeds of some plantain (Plantago L.) taxa in Turkey

Abstract

Plantago L. (Plantaginaceae) is one of the largest genera of the Plantaginaceae family. There are relatively fewer morphological studies on the genus. Seed surface micromorphology has become popular in plant taxonomy in recent years and found useful in most groups. The inflorescence and seed surface characteristics of 22 Plantago taxa collected from Turkey were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Cluster analysis performed in R. We observed that the micromorphology of the inflorescence parts and seeds of genus Plantago are very variable, and do not support the classification based on general morphology. This study shows these characteristics are highly variable and micromorphological characteristics of inflorescence parts are not good characters for making a specific distinction between different taxa. Additionally, some groups have found to have stable seed surface characteristics however these characters are not reliable among all taxa, which means it should be used carefully, especially with the widespread taxa.