Comparative Seed Micromorphology and Morphometry of Some Orchid Species (Orchidaceae) Belong to the Related Anacamptis, Orchis and Neotinea Genera

Abstract

Orchis forms a big group in terms of the number of species it includes, and studies conducted in recent years reveal results which are different from each other in terms of the systematics and phylogeny of the genus. In order to reveal both qualitative and quantitative seed properties of the species belongs to phylogenetically related genera in detail and to investigate which properties are diagnostic among these taxon, the seed micromorphology and morphometry of 10 taxa from Orchis, Anacamptis and Neotinea genera were examined using a light and electron microscope. The seed micromorphological and morphometric characteristics were examined with the help of principle component analysis, canonical discriminant analysis and hierarchical clustering analyses by taking into consideration the taxonomic status of closely-related Anacamptis, Neotinea and Orchis genera. In this study, significant differences were detected at the genus level in terms of morphometric and micromorphological characteristics such as seed shape, seed length, periclinal wall ornamentation, chalazal region cell shape, embryo length, width and volume. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences 2017.