Nutlet Micromorphology of Some Salvia L. Species and its Taxonomic Significance

Salvia L. is one of the largest genus of Lamiaceae which has a lot of pharmacological importance. In this study, nutlet morphology of six species of the genus Salvia L. was examined by means of stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For so doing, nutlets were collected from different species and their morphological traits were examined. The nutlets exhibited variations in shape, size, color, and surface sculpturing. Cluster Analysis (CA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were respectively used to determine the relationships between species and their characteristic traits.In the UPGMA dendrogram obtained from nutlet data, S. nemorosa and S. virgatawere placed in one cluster and the remained taxa were put in another cluster. These results are consistent with the morphological classification of these taxa. Furthermore, the results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the equatorial shape, size and mid-rib were the most useful and diagnostic characteristics for the separation of species.