BULL. BOT. SURV. INDIA -- - - - -- -- - - Vol. 29, Nos. 1-4 pp. 226-252. 1987 A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SURVEY OF SEED SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF SOME TAXA OF MALVACEAE T.K. PAUL AND M.P. NAYAR 80tanka/ Survey of Jndie. Calcutta ABSTRACT Seeds of 54 taxa under I7 genera of the fam~lyMalvaceae were exam~nedwith scanning electron Wroscope (SEMI and compared. The varrat~onrn peed coatmttern drffers from specla to species even in infraspecrfic level.Melva. the type genus of th~sfamily shows rectangular spermodefm cellsand weseare arranged In scalanform pattern but rn M. maurithna, the epdwmal ceNs cancidentallv have developed Irregular surface.The drfference between the gemAha and Althem, the seperat~onof D~cellmtylesjujubrfok from the genus Kydia, placing of Urenastnlretaas subspec~esof U. lobeta and establrsh~ngof Abelmoschus tubercuhtus var, dettotdefolrus have been supported. INTRODUCTION In order to examine the characters of spermoderm and to help the taxonomic The family Malvaceae comprises of 88 disposition of different taxa in certain cases, genera and c. 2300 species distributed in SEM studies of spermoderm of the seeds tropics, subtropics and temperate regions of some taxa of the family Malvaceae in of the World. In lndia this family is represen- lndia have been undertaken. ted by 24 genera and c. 104 species. This study of seed morphology in Malvaceae was made in conjunction with the revisio- MATERIALS AND METHODS nary, work now completed for Flora of lndia. The seeds of 54 taxa of Malvaceae have Several studies on the anatomy of the been examined by scanning electron micro- seed and seed coat of Malvaceae based scope (SEM). Seeds for this study were on light microscopic study have been obtained from herbarium specimens at reported <(Winter, 1960; Singh, 1967; CAL. They were taken directly from fruit. Mohan Rao, 1978; Kumar et 8f.1985, Dry cleaned mature seeds were directly 1'986).But the seed surface morphology mounted on the adhesive tapes placed on of Malvaceae based on scanning electron the stubs and subsequently they were microscope (SEM) have not previously Palladium gold coated. Surface pattern of been studied in detail. A recent review on the seeds were studied in different magnifi- spermoderm patterns by Brisson & Peter- cations and wherever possible minimum dn( 1976) amply justify that investigations of three seeds were examined and photo- using SEM may be useful in the under- graphs taken. Scanning of all the materials standihg of systematics, ecology, genetics were done in Philips, SEM 500 scanning and evolution of plants. s)ectron microscope. 19871 PAUL AND NAYAR S.E.M. SURVEY OF SOME MALVACEAE SEEDS Voucher information for the taxa of Malvaceae studied here. Taxa are arranged alphabetically. All collections are deposited in CAL - - Ta xon Collect~ondata Taxon Collect~ondata Abelmoschus angulosus Kerala. Palghat Dt. 2 1.10. H. lunariifolrus Karnataka, Su~a.N. Kana- 1963, Joseph 178 13 ra. 20.11 1887. Talbot1585 H.macropn ylhs Assam, 189 1, King 3 coll- A. crinitus Uttar Pradesh, w~thout ector. s.n. precise locality, Annon y- ti. ,oanduraeformls Madhya Pradesh, Amar- mous s. n. patan, B~ladllla, 8 2 63. A. ficulneus Rajasthan. Govatadam. Panrgrahr 67 36 Bhllwara, 2.10.78, Srngh H, West Bengal, without we- 5711 radratus crse locality, Nov 15. A. manihot ssp. tetraphyllusWest Bengal. Blratl, 24- 1 898. Pram s. n. Roy- Perganas, 4.1 1.65, H. sabdarrffa West Bengal, Kardapara. chowdhury 30 Bankura, 24 12 1958. A. tuberculatus var. Uttar Pradesh. Shaharan- Sengupta 2020 tuberculetus pur. Annon ymous s. n. H. surattensis Tam11 Nadu. Malnfalls, A. tuberculetus var. Rajasthan, Jhalawar. 2 1 9. Courtallam. 453 m. !6 12 deltoidefdlios 64. Wadhwa & Verma 1957, Subramanyam 4947 7524. H. tilaceous North Ncobar. 20.8 74 Abutilon bidentatum Rajasthan. Jodhpur, March Chakraborty 2 1 14 1868, King s. n. K ydie calycina Madhya Pradesh, Band A. hirtum Bthar. Palamau. Chotanag- R.F. Saugor dt. 30.10 pur Dee. 1880, Gamble s.n. 1960. Balakrishnan 1 1369 A. indicum Tam11Nadu, Bunds of Ved- K glabrescens Arunachal Pradesh, Shoe- anthangal (ChlngleputDt.), lingoreyi. Loh~fF.D.. 30.1 1 25.1.76, A. N. Henry 47026 1957, Panrgrahl 10858 Tam11 Nadu. Colmbatore. Lavqtera cachem~riana Kashm~r.Sonamarg, 2.3.78. Hore 598 Clarke s. n. A. ramosum Kerala, Kavalay Cochln. Malachra capita ta West Bengal, Dum Dum Nov. 19 10. Meebold 12383 Cantt.. 8.1 1.59, Chatter- A. theophrastr Kashmlr. Meebold 3662 jee 7 Malva mauritlana Madhya Pradesh. Sadar- Alcea rosea Uttar Pradesh. Dehra Dun, 23.2.1870, K~ngs. n. pur. Indore, 10 9.64, Arora 5845 Althaea offic~nab Kashmlr. Falconer 28 I M. neglecta Kashmlr, Sonamarg. 1876. Decaschrstia croton~folia Tam11 Nadu, Mudumalai Clarke 3088 1 R.F. Nllglr~. 18.1 1.1958, M. parviflore Rajasthan, Ghatlvill, Tonk Sebasttne 7339 dt. 17.2.1973 Shettv 5Rn Karnataka. Gessappa falls. M. s ylvestris Uttar Pradesh. Lal~tpur. Oct 1908, Meebold 9645 9, 12. 19 10, Kalkaprasad Oicellostylesjujubifol~a Meghalaya. Khasla. Griffith 34853 1270 M, vertrcillata Nagaland, Naga Hills, 1899, Floria vitrf~lra Andhra Pradesh. Balewalle, Prarn 's collector 7 1 4 July 1885. Gamble 16560 Pa vonra grewiordes Gujarat. Jamnagar - Roz- Hibiscus caesrus Arunachal Pradesh, Shoe- lbuder Rd. 25.9. 1964. Ilngorey~.Lohit F.D..30.1 1 S. R. Rolh 102979 1957, Pan~grahi10898 P. odorata Tam11Nadu. ma rut ha ma la^, H. cannabinus West Bengal. Sahlbgung, Colmbatore. Dt 653 m. Kurz s,n. 7 8 1956, Sebastine 500 228 BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA [Vol. 29 - Seeds 3-5 mm in diameter, reniform to Taxon Collection data subglobular, rusty tomentose, verrucate. Spermoderm cell boundaries obliterated Pavonh repanda West Bengal, Darjeellng due to irregular deposition of the wall 2.12.1857, Thomson sen. materials, surface rugose and sometimes k? zeylenk8 Rajasthan, Jodhpur. forming irregular reticulation (PI. 1 C-D). 14.1Q.1976. A.N Singh ,A: ficulneus (Linn.) Wt. & Arn. ex Wt. Cat. 3255 Senra ~ncana Gujarat, Dwarka, Saura- 14. 1833et in Prod. FI. Pen. Ind.Or.l: shtra, 26.3. 1964, Mukh- 53. 1834. erfee 2 267. Seeds c. 3 mm in diameter, tomentose S~daacuta Kerala, Tr~ven~Pamba, by sellate hairs, striated. Spermoderrn cells 2.9.1977, Narr 508 1 1 inconspicuous, surface rugose, stellate hairs S. cordate B~har, Ladaburu. 28 12 1960, G. V.S. Rao 2277 1 from elevated tubercular structures. (PI. S. cordifolt8 Uttar Pradesh, Mtrzapur, 1 E-F). 12.10.69, Pangrab 12473 A. manihot (Linn.) Medic. ssp. tetraphyllus Maharashtra, Tokavada (Roxb. ex Hornem) Borss. in Blumeal4 : Range, 19.11 .1968.Billore 97. 1966. 115931 Seeds 3-4 mm in diameter, globular to S. ovata Rajasthan, Jodhput, 9. 10 76. A. N Singh 3177 reniform, minute warts and stellate hairs S.' rhombifolia ssp. Maharashtra, Dolkhamb, in concentric rings. Spermoderm cell rhombtfol&~var 14.10.1967,Billore 11823 boundaries conspicuous, uniformly thick- rhombirOIm ened, smooth or striated, cell surface S. rtnnnbifdia ssp. Tam11 Nadu, Nilglr~,Oota- smooth. (PI. 2 A-C). rhomb~fo/.var. camund, 6.12. 1878, A. moschatus Medic., Malv. 46. 1787. , Sc@br& K~ngs. n. S. .rhombifolia ssp retusa Andhra Pradesh. Seeds 3-4 mm in diameter, reniform, Biscm hill (Gadamri agemy). c~ncentricallyribbed, glabrous. Spermo- 4.12.1902, Barber 5 104 derm cells conspicuous forming a reticu- Rajasthan, Bhilwara, 27.9. lum, cells angular, boundary walls irregular- 78. A. N. Slngh 6027 ly thickened, surface rugose. (PI. 2 D-F). Maharashtra, Khandala. A. tuberculatus Pal et Singh in. Bot. Gaz. 113.458.1952. Seeds c. 3 mm. in diameter, globose- Clarke 251546 reniform, tubercles in concentric rings, W-dub rostrate West Bengat Bhedta, glabrous. Spermoderm cells conspicuous, 15.3.65,A.K. Outt 653 boundary walls thick forming reticulation, DESCRIPTION thickening not uniform, sometimes exten- Abelmoschus angulosus Wall. ex Wt. & sion of the boundary walls traverse the Arn., Prod. FI.Pen. Ind. Or. 1 :53.1834. surface, cell surface rugose. (PI. 3 A-B). Seeds 34mm in diameter, more or less A. tuberculatur var. deltoidefdliue'faul et globular to reniform, stellate hairy, hairs Nayar in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 24 ( 1-4): in concentric rings. Spermoderm cells 215. 1982. conspicuous, elongated, most1y hexagonal Seeds 4-6 mm in diameter, more or less forming a reticulum, boundaries uniform, globose, stellate hairy, hairs in concentric 6iurface rugose (PI. 1 A-6). rings. Spermoderm cells conspicuous arr- A. crinihrr ~slf.'PI.As. Rar. 1 : 89, t. 44. anged in rows, boundary walls more or 1830. less uniformly thickened and each cell with 1987) PAUL AND NAYAR S.E.M.SURVEY OF SOME MALVACEAE SEEDS a projection from the boundary wall towa- brescent; hilum hairy. Spermoderm cells rds the surface, surface rugose (P1.3 C-0). more or less conspicuous, boundaries not Abutilon bidentaturn A. Rich. Tent. FI. uniform, surface undulate, striated (PI. 5 Abyss. 68. 1847. E-F.). Seeds c. 1.5 mm in diameter, reniform, Alcea rosea Linn., Sp. PI. 687. 1753. glabrous, hilum with few stellate hairs. Seeds 3-4 mrn in diameter, reniform, Spermoderm cells inconspicuous due to surface with scattered glandular structures, irregular thickening of the cell boundaries hilum with some appressed hairs. Sper- and with some alveoli on the ridges, surface, moderm cells obliterated due to irregular undulate (PI. 3 E-F). thickening of the boundaries forming a A. hirtum (Lamk.) Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed. reticulum, qieticufa roundish to angular, 1 : 63. 1826. glandular structures are angular and raised Seeds c. 2.5 mm in diameter, reniform, (PI. 6 A-B). stellate hairy, hairs more or less in reticulate mw officinalis Linn., Sp. PI. 686. 1753. pattern, hilum with stellate hairs, hairs thick Seeds 1.5-2.5 mm in diameter, reniform, with tuberculate base, extension of the glabrous, hilum glabrous.