Systematic Consideration of Microcharacters of Fruits and Seeds in the GenusVerbascum(Scrophulariaceae)

A morphological and anatomical study of fruits and seeds often species ofVerbascumfrom south-west Spain has been made.The seeds showed considerable uniformity in shape, size, seed-coatornamentation and internal structure. Two groups of speciesare distinguished on the basis of indumentum of the capsules.The first group has branched hairs which do not appear in thesecond. Only one species,V. virgatummay be included in bothgroups. Other characters such as corolla size or stamen number,support separation of both groups and reaffirm the intermediateposition ofV. virgatum. A key to distinguish the taxa is provided.Copyright1997 Annals of Botany Company Pericarp; seed-coat; SEM; anatomy