Abstract

Chnar Najmaddin, Mosleh M. Saeed

The present study is undertaken to find the anatomical and palynological differences between Bougainvillea cultivars (Bougainvillea glabra cv. Miss Manila, Bougainvillea glabra cv. Barbara Karst, Bougainvillea glabra cv. Killie Campbell, Bougainvillea glabra cv. California Gold, Bougainvillea glabra cv. Jamaica White, Bougainvillea glabra cv. Terracota, and Bougainvillea glabra cv. Mini-tige) that have been taken from plantation of the Ministry of Municipal/Erbil/Iraq. The results showed that cultivars differ in the shape of the transverse sections of the stem, petiole, midrib, lamina, and margin. Raphides crystals, and fibers are present in the stem and petioles. Anomalous secondary structure present in the stem and petioles of some cultivars. Starch grains and tannins are found in all cultivar stems. Accessory vascular bundles are present in some petioles of the cultivars. Trichomes are presented in all parts of the plant sections which are multicellular or unicellular and glandular or non-glandullar. The shapes of leaf epidermal cells are usually straight and polygonal. The stomatal apparatus is presented on the adaxial and abaxial side of the leaf; the type of stomatal is anisocytic, anomocytic, parasitic, hexacytic and hemiparacytic. Pollen grains are prolate and spheroidal to oblong. The exine ornamentation is reticulate, while Bougainvillea glabra cv. Mini-tige is spinules. Cluster analysis using MVSP version 3.2 showed that the anatomical evidence is of taxonomic significance to distinguish the cultivars and find a close relationship between the cultivars.