Format: ORAL

Golshan Zare1*, Asli Dogru-Koca2

1Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye. 2Laboratory of Plant Conservation & Phylogeny (PCoPh), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

The genusEchinophora,with 10 species is represented in Trkiye by six species, three of which are endemic.Thecocarpus carvifolius, is the only representative of the genus.EchinophoraandThecocarpusare closely related genera with taxonomically controversial history, which are placed inEchinophoreae. This tribe is characterized by the remarkable structure of the fruiting umbellules. In this tribe the umbellules have sessile solitary female fruit in the centre, surrounded by the indurated pedicels of the male flower. In this group, different parts of the umbellules take part in fruit formation and in these infructescence structures. The anatomical characters of the fruit are widely used in the taxonomy of Apiaceae. In this study detailed anatomical and micromorphological futures of 7 taxa were done in detail including; E. tenuifolia, E. tournefortii, E. chrysantha, E. lamondiana, E. tricophylla, E. orientais, T carvifolius. The relationships of Echinophora and Thecocarpus species grown in Türkiye were discussed based on the micromorphology and anatomy of fruits of 7 species. Plant material was collected from different regions of Türkiye and free hand sections were stained with astra blue and safranin. For scanning electron microscopy, fruits were coated with gold-palladium. We describe the range of variation in the infructescence, to discuss the available taxonomic characters and elucidate micro-morphological and anatomical fruit structure. Echinophora mericarps is generally pyriform, glabrous or hairy, located inside thickened structure called the cage or shell. Mericarps contain two carpels or monocarpel by abortion, 6vittae and carpophore. Stomata are absent in some species. Theococarpus, fruits called false nuts are hardened, glabrous with two carpels, 4vittae, and carpophore and stomata are present. Fruit structure such as presence and position of stomata, carpophore, vittae size, number and position provided valuable diagnostic characters in the taxonomy of these taxa.