Investigation of morphological, anatomical and palynological characteristics of Allium sivasicum Özhatay & Kollmann (Alliaceae) species endemic to Turkey

ABSTRACT "Investigation of Morphological, Anatomical and Palynological Characteristics of Allium sivasicum Özhatay & Kollmann (Alliaceae) Species Endemic to Turkey", Trakya University, Institute of Health Science, Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Master Thesis, Edirne, 2023. Background and Aim: The aim of this study is to reveal in detail the macromorphological and micromorphological characteristics of the Allium sivasicum species, which is endemic to our country, and thus to expand its morphological description, to examine anatomical features that have never been studied before and to determine its pollen characteristics. We believe that the results obtained from this study will contribute to the taxonomy of the Allium genus and future research on members of this genus. Material and Methods: a) Selection and Formation of Study Groups: A. sivasicum samples of known locality were taken from different localities and were kept as Herbarium specimens and kept in 70% ethyl alcohol for examination. Morphological, anatomical and palynological studies were carried out on these samples. b) Observation and Analysis Methods: The samples collected during field studies for morphological examination were dried and turned into herbarium material. For anatomical studies, cross sections were taken from the roots, stems and leaves of the samples placed in 70% ethyl alcohol. After staining with Safranin-Alcian Blue, a permanent preparation was prepared using glycerin-gelatin with appropriate sections. The sections in the prepared preparations were examined with a light microscope. For palynological examination, pollen preparations were prepared using the Wodehouse method and pollen measurements were made on at least 40 pollens. For micromorphological examination, seed surface micromorphology was examined and micrographs were taken at specified magnifications. Results: With this study, anatomy, pollen studies and seed micromorphology were studied for the first time. In this study, parts of the A. sivasicum plant, described by Özhatay & Kollmann and endemic to our country, that have never been studied before, were examined for the first time. Morphological description sections have been expanded. Anatomical features that have never been studied before were examined and pollen characteristics were determined. Conclusion: With our morphological studies, the morphological descriptions in the Flora of Türkiye were expanded. In anatomical studies, the root, scapus, leaf, tepal, filament and ovary anatomies of the species were studied for the first time. As a result of the anatomy study, it was seen that the anatomical features of the species were similar to the general anatomical features of the family, but there were generally differences in terms of root, scapus, leaf, tepal, filament and ovary anatomy. The Amaryllidaceae family is a very large group, sections with similar pollen characteristics to A. sivasicum were found in terms of general pollen characteristics. It was concluded that the both seed surface characteristics we discovered as a result of micromorphological studies could be one of the important characters that can be used to distinguish this species. Keywords: Allium sivasicum, pollen, anatomy, morphology