Capsule and Seed Morphology of Commelina L. (Commelinaceae) in Relation to Taxonomy

The present study discusses the light microscopic studies on the capsule and SEM studies on seed of 22 species of Commelina occurring in India and their significance in taxonomy. The characters of capsule studied include the size and shape and the number of capsule within a spathe. Similarly, the seed characters studied include the number, shape, size and colour and ornamentation of testa. The findings indicate that the capsule and seed characters are the best bet in the species level classification within this genus. A key for the identification of each species based on capsule and seed characters is also included.