Micromorphological study on several Alyssum L. species (Brassicaceae) of Iran

Seed coat morphology is an excellent characters for taxonomic and evolutionary studies.Thus, understanding its structure and development has set an important goal forbiologists. Alyssum genus belongs to the Brassicaceae family with 36 annual and perennialspecies. These species are polymorphic in morphological characters, making theiridentification difficult. In this study, seed micromorphological characters of eight Alyssumspecies were examined through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Sculpture,size and the thickness of cell walls as well as the shape of cells in the seed were assayed.Presence or absence of the wing around the seed and the ornamentation are importantfactors in distinguishing the Alyssum species. Based on our results, subspecies of thethree species A. desertorum, A. linifolium and A. minus were distinguished from eachother using the micro-morphological characters.