12.06.2009

ISTA Purity Seminar 15. June 2009 Zürich

Identification of seeds to genus and level

by Norbert Leist and Andrea Jonitz Prof. Dr. Norbert Leist Dr. Andrea Jonitz Brahmsstr.25 LTZ Augustenberg 76669 Bad Schönborn Neßlerstr.23 76227 Karlsruhe [email protected] Germany [email protected]

From to seed

Pulsatilla vernalis

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From flower to seed

Pulsatilla

Can we find botanical characters which allow a systematic search leading to the families first, than to the genera and at least to the species?

Mostly you can find the following structures, more or less well visible: Testa developed from the integument. The hole between the integument remains as micropyle, in every seed this is the point where the radicle emerges. The funiculus growth a shorter or larger part together with the integument, this part is the raphe. The breaking point of the funiculus at ripeness is the hilum. The region where the funiculus enters the integument for nutritition of the embryo is the chalaza.

Hilum

--Integument

Cardiospermum halicacabum

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Definition of seed • A seed is a matured ovule that contains an embryo and often nutritive tissue (endosperm, perisperm) Judd et al. Systematics • Achene: Asteraceae (Carex, Ranunculus, Rosa, Rumex) • Caryopsis: • Drupe: Celtis, Cocos, Prunus • Nut: Castanea, Corylus, Fagus, Quercus • Samara: Ailanthus, Betula, Fraxinus, Liriodendron, Ulmus Carya ovata • ShiSchizocarp: Acer, AAipium, Daucus, EEdirodium, EEhbiuphorbia, LLiamium, MMlalva • Utricle: Amaranthus, Chenopodium

• Seed units are commonly found dispersal units ISTA Rules 2009

Abrus precatorius

Caryopsis Schizocarp Alopecurus Euphorbia gerardii verrucosa

Aethusa Echinochloa cynapium crus-galli

Abelmoschus Bromus esculentus mollis

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Achaene

Bidens Leontodon pilosa hispidus

Taraxacum Rumex officinale crispus

Seed Unit Tragopogon or Taraxacum ?

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Seed characters

Color : black, brown, yellowish, white, different colored, shiny, dull Shape, size : round, edged, flat, triangular, fourthsized, barrelshaped Testa surface: smooth, ribbed, striped, edged, winged, furrowed, wrinkled, dimplelike, reticular, humplike, spiny, dotted, flaking, finehirsute, woolly hirsute, shaggy Appendages : arillus, elaiosom, caruncula, crista, strophiolum, awn, arista, glumes, beak, wing, pappus Hilum : tiny, spotshaped, with other color Raphe : Strophiolum Micropyle : Caruncula

Types of seed units as used in the seed key of Brouwer Stählin

1. Seed unit edged or with border, spiny point (35 families) 2. Seed unit with caruncula, often with clear raphe (2 families) 3. Seed unit winged (9 families) 4. Seed unit with hairs, partly as crown, tuft or scale (6 families) 5. Seed unit bottleshaped (2 families) 6. Seed unit stickshaped, at least 4 times as long as wide (4 families) 7. Seed unit with shiny testa or special structures of surface (6 families) 8. Seed unit enrolled, therefore kidney – or hornshaped (3 families) 9. Seed unit thin and flat, partly bended and/or with small wing ring (4 families) 10. Seed unit ball-to oval rounded, hilum visible (2 families) 11. Seed unit flat and smooth, often like amphora (1 family)

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1. Seed unit edged or with border, point spine (35 families)

Amranthaceae Apiaceae Aristolochiaceae Asclepiadaceae Asteraceae Boraginaceae Brassicaceae Campanulaceae Caryophyllaceae Chenopodiaceae Convolvulaceae Coriariaceae Cucurbitaceae Cyperaceae Dipsacaceae Euphorbiaceae Fumariaceae Geraniaceae Iridaceae Lamiaceae Liliaceae Malvaceae Onagraceae Papaveraceae Plantaginaceae Plumbaginaceae Poaceae Polygonaceae Primulaceae Rosaceae Rubiaceae Rutaceae Santalaceae Scrophulariaceae Solanaceae Tropaeolaceae Valerianaceae Zygophyllaceae

2. Seed unit with caruncula, often with clear raphe Euphorbiaceae Polygalaceae Violaceae Chelidonium

3. Seed unit winged Asclepiadaceae Asteraceae Brassicaceae Caryophyllaceae Chenopodiaceae Cyperaceae Liliaceae Gentianaceae Iridaceae

4. Seed unit enrolled, therefore kidney – or hornshaped Asteraceae Caryophyllaceae Chenopodiaceae Fabaceae

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How stable are these seed characteristics?

Depending on the type of reproduction:

Apogamie =Apomixis, parthenogenesis without pollination Alchemilla,,,,,,, Amelanchier, Hieracium, Poa, Rubus, Sorbus, Taraxacum (2000 microspecies) Autogamie – selfpollination, cleistogamy Viola Heterogamie - self incompatible, pollination by other plant of the same species Primula, Astragalus Polyploidie - multiplication of the chromosome number Biscutella Hybridisation – pollination between species Aquilegia, Avena, Betula, Carex, Epilobium, Paeonia, Poa, Rumex, Salix (worldwide 70.000 naturally occurring interspecific plant hybrids are estimated)

How stable are these seed characteristics?

These characteristics are genetically controlled, but some factors may lead to abnormal or untypical seeds:

nutritition of the plant insect damage of the seed unit fungi infection environmental stress conditions

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Equipment for seed identification

• Pincette • Scalpel • Small boxes • Tubes, adhesive papel, pencil • Magnifying lens

Tools for seed identification • Binocular 10‐60 fold • Microscope – Lig ht microscope – Electron microscope – Special types like Keyence

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The KEYENCE‐Microscope (VHX‐500) Key of Science

Irreplaceable Training Experience Patience

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If Seed identification with morphological characters is not successful ?

Check for alternative methods:

• Anatomy of the seed (type of endosperm) • Seedling (Rumex)

• Chemical reactions (phenol, sulphuric acid..) – Lolium, Poa, Phleum, Cuscuta, Orobanche, Vicia – Ultraviolet radiation • Seedproteins, electrophoresis

Anatomy of seed units to be observed by a transverse cut Characteristics :With or without endosperm, perisperm,( endosperm oily (ol), with starch (st), fleshy (fl)); embryos place on the side, inner part; embryo straight or bended Perisperm Endosperm large Endosperm small None or nearly no endosperm Amaranthaceae Apiaceae Asclepiadaceae Asteraceae Caryophyllaceae Aristolochiaceae (fl) Boraginaceae Brassicaceae Chenopodiaceae Euphorbiaceae Campanulaceae (fl) Cucurbitaceae Plantaginaceae Poaceae (st) Dipsacaceae Fabaceae Papaveraceae (oil) Fabaceae Geraniaceae Plumbaginaceae (st) Lamiaceae Lamiaceae Polygonaceae (st) Rosaceae Onagraceae Primulaceae (fl) Rutaceae Tropaeolaceae Rubiaceae Santalaceae Valerianaceae Scrophulariaceae (fl) Polygalaceae Solanaceae (fl) Convolvulaceae Iridaceae Liliaceae

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If Seed identification with morphological characters is not successful ?

Check for alternative methods:

• Anatomy of the seed (type of endosperm) • Seedling (Rumex)

• Chemical reactions (phenol, sulphuric acid..) – Lolium, Poa, Phleum, Cuscuta, Orobanche, Vicia – Ultraviolet radiation • Seedproteins, electrophoresis

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

643 Genera, 18.000 Species

Caesalpinioideae 153 Genera , 2. 175 Species

Mimosoideae 64 Genera, 2.950 Species

Papilionoideae 426 Genera, 12.150 Species

Lathyrus 160

Vicia 140

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Seeds showing one typical characteristic for one certain family only well expressed hilum, micropyle, raphne, chalaza

Fabaceae: Medicago, Sophora, Melilotus, Robinia, Vicia .....

Medicago trunculata Sophora japonica Melilotus alba

Seed characteristics

Micropyle

Hilum

Phaseolus vulgaris; Micropyle, Hilum, Testa structure

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Seedshape: a) globular d) rhomboid b) ovoid e) hatchlike c) edged f) cylindrical g)hd) pearshaped

.

Testa surface

Smoothy shining, smoothy dull, rough, velvet, like hoarfrost, warty structures, pories structures, labyrinth structures.

These characters can be observed with magnification

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Testa colour and pattern

Variation from white to light brown, dark to black, greenish and from uniform colour to different pattern

This pattern can be named as: marked - small area spot, speckle, reptile pattern, marble pattern.

The micropyle can be well expressed to nearly not visible.

The hilum is more informative with its size, shape, colour, structure and the distance to the micropyle.

The hilum can be:

round-oval, less than 2 x as long as wide (eg. gorgoni Parl.)

elongated-oval, at least 2 x, but not more than 5 x as long as wide (eg. Vicia dumetorum L.);

linear, more than 5 x as long as wide (eg. Lathyrus articulatus L.)

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Furthermore, the hilum itself can show the same width in its whole length, it can narrow at one or both ends and became also lanceolate at one or both ends.

Once more the are a of the hilum can differ in colour. The middle part (M) can be white-light, sometimes yellowish, with the border region (R) darkened, in some species a very light line separates the hilum lengthwise (L).

M

R

L

Genus Lathyrus 19. Lathyrus maritimus (L.) Bigelow 20. Lathyrus montanus Bernh. 1. Lathyrus amphicarpos L. 21. Lathyrus neurolobus Boiss. Et Heldr. in Boiss. 2. Lathyrus angulatus L. 22. Lathyrus nissolia L. 3. Lathyrus annuus L. 23. (L.) Bernh. 4. Lathyrus aphaca L. 24. Lathyrus ochrus (()L.) DC. 5. Lathyrus articulatus L. 25. Lathyrus odoratus L. 6. Lathyrus aureus (Steven) Brandza 26. Lathyrus Pannonicus (Jacq.) Garcke 7. Lathyrus bauhinii Genty ssp. varius 8. Lathyrus cicera L. 27. Lathyrus pisiformis L. 9. Lathyrus clymenum L. 28. Lathyrus pratensis L. 10. Lathyrus davidii Hance 29. Lathyrus roseus Steven 11. Lathyrus digitatus (Bieb.) Fiori 30. Lathyrus rotundifolius Willd. 12. Lathyrus gorgoni, Parl. 31. Lathyrus sativus L. 13. Lathyrus heterophyllos L. 32. Lathyrus sphaericus Retz. 14. Lathyrus hierosolymitanus Boiss. 33. Lathyrus sylvestris L. 15. Lathyrus hirsutus L. 34. Lathyrus tingitanus L. 16. Lathyrus inconspicuus L. 35. Lathyrus tuberosus 17. Lathyrus latifolius L. 36. Lathyrus venetus (Miller) Wohlf. in Koch 18. Lathyrus laxiflorus (Desf.) O. Kuntze 37. (L.) Bernh.

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Example for a key to determine seed of Vicia and Lathyrus species

Seed small, not more than 2 mm I Seed larger > 2 mm II I 1 Whole testa with clear wart structure ...... 2

1´ Testa with structures like pores or labyrinnth,in no case warts...... 4

2 seeds globular, egg shaped-oval or cylindrical; hilum more than 0,5 mm long, round-oval measuring 1/8 to 1/9 of seed perimeter; chalaza is near by the hilum less than 0,5 mm formed as a small bulge; testa surface with some single warts ...... L. nissolia L.

2´ seed mostly edged-hatchet like, hilum very small, not more than 0,5 mm ...... 3

Lathyrus

L. ochrus L. pannonicus L. pratensis L. articulatus

L. tingitanus L. angulatus L. nissolia L. rotundifolius ssp. rotundifolius ssp. miniatus

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Genus Vicia

V. narbonnensis V. ochroleuca V. peregrina

V. villosa V. lathyroides V. sativa V. grandiflora

V. tenuissima V. pubescens V. sepium

Vicia cracca Vicia articulata

Vicia sativa Vicia monantha

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Vicia tetrasperma Lathyrus tuberosus

Vicia villosa Vicia hirsuta Vicia angustifolia Vicia sativa Partzsch et al.

Scrophulariaceae

268 Genera, 5.100 Species

Veronica 180 (since 2003 the genus belongs to the Plantaginaceae)

Garden

Veronica paniculata, longifolia, spicata, aphylla…..

Weeds

Veronica hederifolia, cymbalaria, persica, filiformis, opaca, agrestis, polita, triphyllos, dillenii, verna, peregrina, arvensis….

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Scrophulariaceae

Veronica teucrium Veronica hederifolia

Veronica agrestis Veronica arvensis

Scrophulariaceae

Veronica filiformis Veronica persica Veronica triphyllos

Veronica polita Veronica agrestis Veronica praecox Veronica hederifolia Partzsch et al. Acker- und Gartenunkräuter

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Chenopodiaceae

103 Genera, 1.300 Species

Chenopodium 100

Atriplex 300

Chenopodiaceae Chenopodium album

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Chenopodiaceae Chenopodium polyspermum

Chenopodiaceae

Atriplex patula Chenopodium hybridum Ch. album

Chenopodium polyspermum Ch. ficifolium Ch. glaucum Portulaca oleracea

Partzsch et al. Acker- und Gartenunkräuter

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shape

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shape

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Silene cretica Silene dichotoma

Silene dioica Silene latifolia

Silene noctiflora

There ist still much effort needed go come from

seed images to seed tables which can be used for comparison of unknown seeds

and not only of weed seeds.

Hypochaeris radicata

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Thank you very much for your attention !

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