Taxonomic significance of macro and micro‐morphology of Geranium L. species Using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Macro and micromorphology of different parts that is, sepals, petals, flowers, indumentum, and leaf shape of 22 Geranium L. taxa from Iran were studied. These taxa representing the eight sections of the genus as sect. Dissecta, sect. Geranium, and sect. Tuberosa (of subgen. Geranium); sect. Batrachioidea, sect. Divaricata, sect. Lucida, sect. Ruberta and sect. Trilopha (of subgen.Robertium), that were collected from different geographical habitats of Iran. The biometric study involved 27 quantitative and 33 qualitative characters which were studied by use of stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical analyses were done by use of PAST software. Principal Component Analysis defined the most variable characters. Results showed that the diagnostic features were; length, width, apex of sepals, petals, trichomes type in pedicles and sepals along with their density, the shape length and width of leaves. In general, the present study revealed that the species could be differentiated by macro and micromorphological characters. Taxa of two subgenera were clearly separated based on selected characters. These characters were found useful for the taxonomic identification and species delimitation in almost all taxa studied at the sub generic level, although some species of section Geranium and section Dissecta are mixed and nested in both subgenea.

Leaf epidermal micromorphology and its implications in systematics of certain taxa of the fern family Pteridaceae from Northern Pakistan

“…The SEM has proven invaluable for observations of the surface morphology of plant materials, primarily due to the improved depth of field and high resolution, which are unobtainable with the light microscope. This tool along with light microscope (LM) allows the use of more micro‐morphological data in taxonomic and morphogenetic studies of many plant families (Ahmad et al, ; Ashfaq et al, ; Bahadur et al, ; Esfandani‐Bozchaloyi & Zaman, ; Rashid, Zafar, Ahmad, Khan, et al, ; Rashid, Zafar, Ahmad, Malik, et al, ; Sufyan et al, ; Ullah, Zafar, Ahmad, Dilbar, et al, ; Ullah, Zafar, Ahmad, Shah, et al, ; Ullah, Zafar, Amhad, Sultana, et al, ). Nowadays, SEM is widely used to analyze leaf epidermal characteristics for taxonomic studies in many fern species (Bondada, Tu, & Ma, ; Chuang & Liu, ; Lee, ; Sen & Mukhopadhay, ).…”

Taxonomic study of one generic and two new species record to the flora of Pakistan using multiple microscopic techniques

“…Previous studies adopted microscopic techniques for addition of new species record, plant systematics, anatomical, micro, and macro morphological studies and finding variations among medicinal plants authenticity (Bahadur et al, ; Bahadur et al, ; David, Ain, Ahmad, Zaman, & Jahan, ; Esfandani‐Bozchaloyi & Zaman, ; Raei Niaki et al, ; Shah, Ahmad, Zafar, & Zaman, ; Shah et al, ; Shah et al, ; Shah et al, ; Shah et al, : Ullah et al, ). To introduce new species in Pakistan flora, the taxonomist and scientists contributed in this regard.…”

Taxonomic importance of spore morphology in Thelypteridaceae from Northern Pakistan

“…SEM has proven to be invaluable for observations of the surface morphology of plant materials, primarily due to the increased depth of field and high resolution, which are unobtainable by LM. This tool along with LM allows the use of more micromorphological data in taxonomic, biological, and morphogenetic studies of many fern families and species (David, Ain, Ahmad, Zaman, & Jahan, ; Shah et al, ; Shah, Ahmad, Zafar, Malik, et al, , Shah, Ahmad, Zafar, Razzaq, et al, ; Shah, Çelik, et al, ; Zaman et al, ), as well as other plants groups (Attar, Esfandani‐Bozchaloyi, Mirtadzadini, Ullah, & Zaman, ; Bahadur et al, ; Esfandani‐Bozchaloyi & Zaman, ; Gul et al, ; Kandemir, Çelik, Ullah, Shah, & Zaman, ; Rashid, Zafar, Ahmad, Khan, et al, ; Rashid, Zafar, Ahmad, Malik, et al, ; Saqib et al, ; Ullah et al, ; Ullah, Papini, et al, ; Ullah, Zafar, Ahmad, Dilbar, et al, ; Ullah, Zafar, Ahmad, Shah, et al, ; Ullah, Zafar, Amhad, Sultana, et al, ; Ullah, Zaman, et al, ).…”