Anatomical properties of Epilobium and Chamaenerion from a taxonomical perspective in Turkey

Abstract

In the present study, the anatomical features of stem, leaf, and fruit of 22 Epilobium L. and 4 Chamaenerion Seguier taxa were studied using light microscopy with the aim to find out taxonomically significant characters for the examined taxa. Principal component analysis indicated that the row number of collenchyma, presence of periderma and phloem fibers in the stem, the shape of midrib and idioblast, leaf type, and the shape of fruit in cross section are the most valuable anatomical traits delimiting the investigated taxa at generic and partly specific level. Additionally, the dendrograms resulted from unweighted pair-group method supported to describe members of Chamaenerion with circular or cordate midrib, equifacial leaf, cylindrical idioblast, and pericarp composed of T-form lobes and circular or rectangular central column and Epilobium with semicircular midrib, bifacial leaf, circular idioblast, and pericarp composed of m-form lobes and rectangular central column.