Morphological study of ovary, fruit, seed and seed hairs (fibers) in Calotropis procera

AbstractCalotropis procera (Aiton) W.T belonging to family Apocynaceae (subfamily Asclepiadoideae) is a xerophytic, perennial and evergreen shrub highly tolerant to drought and salt stresses with remarkable distribution ability in dry and hot areas of southern of Kerman province, Iran. Due to its pharmacognostic features, this shrub is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. In addition, due to its importance in phytoremediation, this species is a useful bio-indicator for monitoring pollution in urban and suburban areas. In this research, the structure of ovary and fruit, structure and ultrastructure of seed and its hairs (fibers) were studied with stereo, light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM (.Gynoecium has two free and superior ovaries with numerous anatropous ovules and marginal placentation. The fruits are oval shaped follicles, which their pericarp become swollen during maturity and split and invert to release hundreds of flat and brown seeds. The seeds have a tuft of silky white hairs at one end. These white fibers attached to the seeds serve to wind dispersal. The seed coat has reticulated ornamentation at early developmental stages and then during maturation, the leaf-like ornamentations differentiate among which the small prominent structures are developed.