Palynological study of the family Lythraceae J.St.‐Hil. in Iran; with special emphasis on the genera Ammannia, Lythrum, and Rotala

Abstract

The present study investigates the pollen morphology of 12 species belonging to the genera Ammannia, Lythrum, and Rotala of the family Lythraceae in Iran using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The pollen grains are oblate, suboblate, oblate spheroidal, spheroidal, prolate spheroidal, subprolate and prolate, tricolporate with three or six alternating pseudocolpi (heteroaperturate), striate or rugulate exine sculpturing, microverrucate to microbaculate and microechinate colpus membrane, microverrucate to microbaculate, and psilate pseudocolpi membrane sculpturing types. The results revealed that these characters are taxonomically informative and can be used to identify the three studied genera and their species. We used multivariate analysis to understand the importance of pollen morphological data in determining genera and species relationships. Our findings revealed that the pollen qualitative traits have significant role in determining the generic delimitation.

Phylogenetic study of Lythraceae family in Iran, focusing on the genera Lythrum, Ammannia, and Rotala

“…These two annual herbaceous species are distinguished by their erect, glabrous stem; opposite, acute leaves; cyme in orescence, campanulate hypanthium during owering, four triangular sepals, bracteoles shorter than the oral tube, stamens as long as hypanthium, spherical ovaries, capitate stigma, and spherical capsules(Haining et al 2007; Yousef Naanaie 2010). They exhibit similarities in leaf micro-morphological features (such as stomatal size and inner stomata rim shape)(Mahmoodi et al, 2022a) and pollen morphology (pollen grain outline from equatorial view, width of colpi and pseudocolpi close to each other as well as the colpi longer than pseudocolpi)(Mahmoodi et al, 2022b). Furthermore, the close a nity between the two species, A. multi ora and A. coccinea, is supported by their morphological similarities.…”