<p><em>Atocion lithuanicum</em> (Zapał.) Tzvel. (basionym <em>Silene</em><em> </em><em>lithuanica</em> Zapał.) is an endemic species of the Polesie, related and morphologically similar to <em>A. armeria </em>(L.) Raf.<em>, </em>which naturally occurs in Central and Southern Europe, but is widely cultivated. In Ukraine <em>A. lithuanicum</em> is considered as separate species and included in different issues of nature conservation, but in Europe it is listed as synonym or variety of <em>A. armeria</em>. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to examine micromorphological features of these taxa to distinguish them. Pollen grains, seeds and leaf surfaces of both <em>Atocion</em><em> </em><em>lithuanicum</em> and <em>A. armeria</em> (L.) Raf. were investigated by scanning electron microscopy.</p> <p>Palynological distinctions between these taxa are associated with the ultrastructure of pollen grains, such as margin of a pollen (smooth or undulate), diameter of pores (3,04-5,22 (3,96±0,57) or 2,62-4,15 (3,47±0,32) µm), microechinate number on the pore (11-20 (25) or 7-14), exine ornamentation (acute, broadly conical spinule or obtuse spinule) and perforation diameter (0,1 or 0,2-0,3 µm).</p> <p>Seed characteristics such as dimensions (350-570 х 450-630 (468,78±49,2 х 544,84±51,39) in <em>A. lithuanicum</em> or 480-670 х 600-800 (595,67±48,04 х 706,67± 50,26) µm in <em>A. armeria</em>), shape (reniform-circular or reniform-triangular and reniform-circular), dimensions of exotesta cells in distal row (69-160 х 13-28,6 (116,52±21,9 х 20,72±3,99) or 95,6-202,7 х 7,8-40,5 (143,31±27,3 х 28,76±5,05) µm), the number of anticlinal wall teeth (15-24 or 19-29), papilla presence on periclinal wall of lateral and dorsal surfaces (common absent or scarce weakly expressed in <em>A. lithuanicum</em> or usually strongly expressed in <em>A. armeria</em>) also differ these taxa.</p> <p>Epicuticular wax projections are of different size and shape even on the same lamina, so no significant differences in the leaf surface microcharacteristics were observed.</p> <p>Thereby, new micromorphological distinctions associated with the ultrastructure of pollen grains and the seeds were demonstrated, which allows to distinguish these taxa.</p> <p><em>Key words: </em><em>Atocion</em><em> </em><em>lithuanicum</em><em>, </em><em>A. armeria, </em><em>S</em><em>ЕМ, </em><em>pollen, seed, lamina</em></p>

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Objective – to carry out macro- and micromorphological studies of fruits and seeds of representatives of the genus Lonicera of the flora of Ukraine (both natural and introduced), to clarify their features, to provide additional characteristics and to evaluate the possibility of using carpological features for the diagnosis of taxa of the genus. Material and methods. Materials of the National Herbarium of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (KW) and Herbarium of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (KWHA) were used, as well as samples from living plants of the collections of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden and O.V. Fomin Botanical Garden. The citations are given by the original text of the labels. The fruits and seeds of seven species of the genus (four are introduced and the other are species of natural flora), listed in “Vascular plants of Ukraine. A nomenclatural checklist”, have been studied. Morphological features of fruits and seeds were studied under light microscope (LM, MBS-9) and scanning electron microscope (SEM, JSM-6060 LA). Samples were sprayed with a layer of gold according to the standard method. The study was conducted at magnification from ×30 to ×3000. Descriptions of fruits and seeds were performed using terminology, summarized in specialized papers. Fruit and seed sizes were measured using Axio Vision Rel. 4.8. Results. The fruits of Lonicera species are free or adnate at the base, surrounded by, for the most part, free bracteoles. A pseudocarp of L. caerulea is formed of the bracteoles of paired flowers concrescent in a tubular cupule, which completely and tightly wraps free paired fruits. The L. nigra has an uneven concrescent of the bracteoles that freely surround the paired fruits, which have concrescent only at the base. The fruits of the species Lonicera are black and dark blue, or red and yellow. The fruits of subgenus Periclymenum (L. caprifolium, L. etrusca, L. periclymenum) are free and spherical . The subgenus Chamaecerasus species’ fruits are mainly spherical, but in some species the fruits are also hemispherical, elliptical and elongated (L. caerulea, L. tatarica). Fruits in this subgenus are free (L. caerulea, L. tatarica) or coalescent at the base (L. nigra, L. xylosteum). All the studied species are characterized by glabrous fruits, except fruits of L. xylosteum that are pubescent with glandular and simple hairs. The seeds are elliptical, ovoid, nearly spherical, flat, concave on one side and convex on the other side, with recess on the periphery and a crest in the center, at the base they mainly narrow-rounded. All species of the section Eucaprifolium and one species of the section Coeloxylosteum have truncated seeds. The surface of the seeds is almost similar and pitted; in L. xylosteum it is shallow-pitted, in L. nigra it is tubercular-pitted. In some species the seed surface is pitted and also flat cells are present. Conclusions. Based on the results of a critical review of literature materials and analysis of own data, the detailed characteristics of fruits and seeds of the representatives of the genus Lonicera L. within the flora of Ukraine have been compiled. These characteristics can be useful for more accurate identification of fruiting Lonicera plants. The species of the subgenus Periclymenum have exclusively free fruits, while the fruits in the subgenus Chamaecerasus are free or coalescent at the base. The features of color and shape of the fruits and seeds, the peculiarities of pubescence of the fruits are suggested to be used to distinguish L. caerulea, L. caprifolium, L. etrusca, L. nigra, L. periclymenum, L. tatarica and L. xylosteum. Analysis of the microstructure of the seeds surface revealed that there no features that can be used as diagnostic at the level of subsections, sections and subgenera. However, seeds microstructure showed some differences at the species level.

Silene sytnikii Krytzka, Novosad et Protopopova is a local endemic species of the Ukrainian flora, which sometimes is considered as a synonym to the S. frivaldszkyana Hampe from the Balkans and is related to the widespread species S. chlorantha (Willd.) Ehrh. The aim of the present study is to investigate micromorphological features of seeds, pollen grains and leaf surface ultrastructure of foregoing species and make a comparison. Both light and scanning electron microscopy were used in the study. S. sytnikii and S. frivaldszkyana are slightly different in the size of exotesta cells and their anticlinal teeth in distal row of seeds, pollen diameter and microechinate number on the pore, size of leaf spinule, epidermal cells and stomata. S. chlorantha significantly differs from them by smaller seeds and exotesta cells, and also longer leaf spinules. Thus, S. sytnikii and S. frivaldszkyana are quite similar in their micromorphology, while S. chlorantha is clearly distinct from them.