Morphology of the seed coat of Oxalis spp. from Buenos Aires Province (Argentina)

Authors : Sonia ROSENFELDT, Beatriz Gloria GALATI

Pages : 864-876

Doi:10.3906/bot-1311-12

View : 16 | Download : 8

Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The aim of the present study is to provide detailed morphological descriptions of the seed coat in 10 species of Oxalis from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The seed is ovate and brown, and its surface is smooth. Oxalis has a mechanism of spermobolia by which a part of the seed coat is detached by the rupture of cells, leaving exposed a layer of opened cells, generally with oxalate crystals. This new coat surface has different characteristics in the species studied in this work. Three types are recognized, mostly on the basis of anatomical and ultrastructural characteristics of the seed coat. The species grouped in each of the 3 types of seeds belong to different sections of the genus; thus, the seed morphology could be of taxonomic value for the genus Oxalis.
Keywords : Seed, Oxalis, spermobolia, seed coat, classification