Ultrastructural features of the nutlet surface in species of the genus Mentha

Abstract

The surface of nutlets and the ultrasculpture of еру pericarp were studied for the first time using a scanning electron microscopy in nine species of the genus Mentha, growing in Russia and neighboring countries. Three types of primary and four types of secondary seed surface sculptures were identified. It was found that the ultrasculptural features of the nutlet pericarp can be used in the taxonomy of the genus at the level of species and for identifying the relationship between taxa.