Study of the Anatomical Characteristics of Fruits and Seeds of Several Species of the Genus Bellevalia and Ornithogalum of the Asparagaceae Family Spread in Iraq

Abstract

The study dealt with anatomical characters of 11 plant species Bellevalia chrisii, Bellevalia flexuosa, Bellevalia kurdistanica, Bellevalia longipes, Bellevalia macrobotrys, Bellevalia parva, Bellevalia pycnantha, Bellevalia saviczii, O. brachystachys, O. neurosteginm, O. pyrenaicum that belong two genera Bellevalia and Ornithogalum from Asparagaceae family growing in different area in Iraq. The pericarp consist from three layers, there outer exocarp, middle mesocarp and enter endocarp. The results show the number of lobes from each species and there were tailored of the most species, except the fruit of Bellevalia saviczii was bilobed while the specie O. pyrenaicum fruit was multilobed. Also the anatomical sections of fruits showed the shape of seeds which were different like elongated, ovoid, semi ovoid, spherical and semi spherical, the measurements shows the Bellevalia chrisii that had most thickness of seeds which was 170 m, While the species Bellevalia pycnantha recorded the lowest thickness of 50 m. and the shape of cells which all were globular, the results also cleared the vessels bands in the mesophyll of fruits.