COMPARATIVE MORPHOANATOMICAL STUDY OF THREE SPECIES PERTAINING TO THE CROCUS GENUS: C. NEVADENSIS, C. NUDIFLORUS AND C. SATIVUS DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 650: I International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology

**COMPARATIVE MORPHOANATOMICAL STUDY OF THREE SPECIES PERTAINING TO THE CROCUS GENUS: C. NEVADENSIS, C. NUDIFLORUS AND C. SATIVUS DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS**

Authors:	L. Pulido, S. Gattuso, M. Gattuso
Keywords:	saffron, study morphoanatomical
Abstract: A morphoanatomical study of three Crocus species has been carried out. Two of these species, C. nevadensis and C. nudiflorus, which are wildflowers found in mountain meadows, were picked, respectively, on March 12, 2003 and November 5, 2002 in the Alcaraz mountain range (Albacete Province). The third species, C. sativus, is a cultivated species that was picked on November 5, 2002 in Santa Ana, Albacete. The study was done in order to establish the morphoanatomical parameters, which differentiate wild and cultivated species. With this in mind, three specimens from each species were picked. The first one was processed in the laboratory using conventional techniques for inclusion in paraffin. Microphotographs were then taken with an optical OLYMPUS BH2. The other two specimens from each of the three species were filed in the herbarium in the Department of Plant Biology at the E.T.S.I.A. Both common and differentiating characteristics were found among the three species: Root: number of vascular strands, layers of storage tissue in the cortex and in the outer form of the perimeter Stem: perimeter morphology. Leaves: the shape is quite different in transverse sections, as is the number and position of the vascular strands. Stigmas: three stigmas with a large glandular surface covered by secreting epithelium and lysogenic cavities.
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