Taxonomic significance of lamina epidermal characteristics in some taxa of the genus Plantago L. (Plantaginaceae Juss.) from Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

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1 Botany and Microbiology department, faculty of science, Alexandria, Egypt

2 Botany and Microbiology department, faculty of science,Alexandaria,Egypt

Abstract

Plantago L. is widely considered to be a challenging genus from a taxonomic perspective. The lamina epidermal characters have great value in taxonomic studies. The lamina epidermal features of 17 species and one subspecies of Egyptian Plantago were investigated. The specific object of the present study was to throw light on the micro-morphological features of the lamina surfaces and assess their taxonomic relevance. The lamina epidermal characters were examined for both the ad/abaxial surfaces using LM and SEM. The data were numerically analyzed to detect the phenetic relationships between the studied taxa. Stomatal type, epidermal cell walls, cuticular ornamentation, and trichome characteristics varied among the taxa studied. Trichomes exhibited the most noticeable characteristics of all the studied taxa. The generated dendrogram showed a segregation of Plantago major subspecies major, in a distinct phenon from the remaining Plantago species, which is subsequently divisible into smaller groups. It is concluded that the phenetic analysis supports Rahn’s sectional classification of Plantago. Additionally, the lamina epidermal features can help identify Plantago species or groups of species by combining character states.

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