Morphological, anatomical, palynological, and micromorphological characters of 2 endemic species of Ornithogalum (O. chetikianum and O. demirizianum) in Turkey

In this investigation, the comparative morphological, anatomical, palynological, and micromorphological characters of Ornithogalum chetikianum Uysal, Ertuğrul & Dural and O. demirizianum Malyer & Koyuncu, which belong to Ornithogalum subgenus Myogalum (=Honorius) (Asparagaceae), are presented. In accordance with the new observations, dimensions of some morphological characters are revised as distinct from the previous description of the species. Anatomical investigations of roots, scapes, and leaves were found to be useful for taxonomy. Some anatomical characters, such as the number of protoxylem arms in the root, the number of cortex and sclerenchyma layers in the scape, and type of mesophyll cells in the leaf, provide information of taxonomical significance. Pollen grains of O. chetikianum are monosulcate, but the pollen grains of O. demirizianum are both monosulcate and zonosulcate (10%). As a result of this study, some pollen characteristics such as aperture type, pollen shape, and exine ornamentation were demonstrated to be different between the species. Capsules and seeds of the species are different from one another, especially in their shapes. The investigated species are compared with the other studied species in the subgenus Myogalum.