Volume 17, Issue 2, August 2015, Pages 403–411
Celestine Uzoma Aguoru1, O. P. Abah2, and Joseph O. Olasan3
1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comparative macro and micromorphology of the leaf and floral features of three species of Plumeria was carried out. The aim was to establish the degree of relatedness or separation of the species through the use of macro-morphology, epidermal and floral features as systematic and taxonomic evidences on three species. All the species possessed unvaried anomocytic stomata type on the abaxial surfaces only. Leaf epidermal cells were irregular in shape with the exception of Plumeria rubra which possessed pentagonal and hexagonal epidermal cell shapes. Stomata index varied from species to species on the abaxial surfaces and could be applied in their delineation. The index for Plumeria rubra, Plumeria obtusa and Plumeria lute were 62.34%, 63.31% and 49.57% respectively. Macroscopically, the leaves of all the species were simple and lanceolate, except for P. obtusa that is elliptic. The apices of P. rubra and P.lutea are acuminate while that of P. obtusa is acute, the leaf margin of P. rubra is undulate while those of P. obtusa and P. lutea are entire. However, flower type, symmetry, inflorescence, arrangement, calyx colour, corolla shapes, floral formula and floral diagram were unvaried and affirm relatedness and placement in same genus. Variations were however observed in the colour of petals. P. rubra is red with yellow centre, while the colour of P. obtusa is white with yellow centre. P. lutea is yellow fading to white at the tip. The similarities and overlaps observed in the leaf and floral morphology, cell shape, stomata type and stomata index of the species have provided evidence for their genetic and evolutionary relationship and justification for their common grouping at the generic and specific taxa circumscription. These are reported for the first and maiden in its application in three species of Plumeria.
Author Keywords: Micromorphology, Plumeria, Stomatal index, Epidermal cells, Taxonomy, Systematics.
Celestine Uzoma Aguoru1, O. P. Abah2, and Joseph O. Olasan3
1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria
Original language: English
Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Comparative macro and micromorphology of the leaf and floral features of three species of Plumeria was carried out. The aim was to establish the degree of relatedness or separation of the species through the use of macro-morphology, epidermal and floral features as systematic and taxonomic evidences on three species. All the species possessed unvaried anomocytic stomata type on the abaxial surfaces only. Leaf epidermal cells were irregular in shape with the exception of Plumeria rubra which possessed pentagonal and hexagonal epidermal cell shapes. Stomata index varied from species to species on the abaxial surfaces and could be applied in their delineation. The index for Plumeria rubra, Plumeria obtusa and Plumeria lute were 62.34%, 63.31% and 49.57% respectively. Macroscopically, the leaves of all the species were simple and lanceolate, except for P. obtusa that is elliptic. The apices of P. rubra and P.lutea are acuminate while that of P. obtusa is acute, the leaf margin of P. rubra is undulate while those of P. obtusa and P. lutea are entire. However, flower type, symmetry, inflorescence, arrangement, calyx colour, corolla shapes, floral formula and floral diagram were unvaried and affirm relatedness and placement in same genus. Variations were however observed in the colour of petals. P. rubra is red with yellow centre, while the colour of P. obtusa is white with yellow centre. P. lutea is yellow fading to white at the tip. The similarities and overlaps observed in the leaf and floral morphology, cell shape, stomata type and stomata index of the species have provided evidence for their genetic and evolutionary relationship and justification for their common grouping at the generic and specific taxa circumscription. These are reported for the first and maiden in its application in three species of Plumeria.
Author Keywords: Micromorphology, Plumeria, Stomatal index, Epidermal cells, Taxonomy, Systematics.
How to Cite this Article
Celestine Uzoma Aguoru, O. P. Abah, and Joseph O. Olasan, “Systematic Descriptions and Taxonomic studies on Three (3) Species of Plumeria in North Central Nigeria,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 403–411, August 2015.
