Investigation of pubescence characteristics of Turkish Epilobium L. (Onagraceae) taxa

In this study, the pubescence characteristics of stem, leaf, calyx, stylus and fruit of Chamaenerion Séguier and Epilobium L. taxa distributed in Türkiye were examined in detail for the first time with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and detailed hair features were determined and the data obtained were evaluated taxonomically. In micromorphological studies, plant materials belonging to herbarium specimens kept in the Herbarium (RUB) of the Biology Department of Recep Tayyip Erdogan University were used. For each taxon, healthy and mature stem, leaf, calyx, stylus and fruit parts obtained from herbarium specimens were examined using SEM and photographed at different magnifications, and detailed hair characteristics of taxa were determined through these micro-photographs. In the studied taxa, it is determined that the surfaces were hairy along the lines, throughout the entire surface, or glabrous in stem; hairy along the veins and margins, along the midrib, along the margins and throughout the entire surface, or glabrous in leaf, hairy at the base or completely glabrous in stylus; hairy throughout the entire surface in calyx and fruit; and the hair type (glandular, eglandular) and pubescence density on the plant surfaces varied between taxa. In this study, Epilobium and Chamaenerion taxa in our country were studied in detail for the first time in terms of hair micromorphological features with a holistic approach. The obtained data revealed that the pubescence characteristics on the stem, leaves, calyx, stylus and fruit varried between the examined taxa and contributed significantly to the differentiation of taxa at the genus/subgenus levels.