Systematic implications of seed coat morphology in Campanulaceae Juss.

Abstract

I n the present study the seed coat micromorphology of 51 accessions of the Campanulaceae s. l. were investigated via SEM, the selected OTU ' s include accessions representing 11 genera and 35 species of the subfamilies: Campanuloideae and Lobelioideae. This study is an attempt to investigate variation between the species and the taxonomic relationships between them. Variations in seed coat micro-sculpture supported the monophyly of the family, favored the retention of Lobelia in the Campanulaceae, showed a relatively isolated nature of Edraianthus serbicus and suggested that the genus Campanula as is currently constituted may be polyphyletic and needs further studies. The study also recorded a relatively high degree of polymorphism within the seed shape and seed coats of the different accessions of the same species, thus suggesting more future studies for their re-evaluation.