Can Miconia Ruiz & Pavón fruitanatomical characters have taxonomicusefulness in the genus?Fruit anatomical characters of Miconia

Abstract

Miconia Ruiz & Pavón is currently recognized as a single genus belonging to the Miconieae tribe,
whose taxonomic position is in urgent need of new multidisciplinary studies, including the anatomical
investigation of fruits and seeds. Our study investigated the structural ontogeny of fruits and
seeds of six species of Miconia, from the floral phase. Flowers and developing fruits were obtained
from specimens collected in a state park in Paraná, Brazil, and from herbarium specimens. The
samples were sectioned in a rotation microtome and analyzed in a light microscope. All species bear
berry-subtype pomaceous fruits that originate from inferior or semi-inferior ovaries. The pericarp is
fleshy parenchymatous with sclereid idioblasts. The seeds come from anatropous ovules, are testal
and exhibit variation in the position of the mechanical cell layer within the testa. Taxonomically
consistent features were found, such as position of the ovary and carpel number (inferior or semi-inferior/
3 or 4 carpels), exocarp indumentum, mesocarp structure (tissue region), pomaceous fruit
with hypanthium totally or partially adnate to the ovary wall, type of seed (exotestal, exomesotestal
and mesoendotestal) and sclereid composition of the mechanical layer.