Fruit, seed and seedling morphology of three Annona species (Annonaceae)

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to describe and illustrate the morphological characters of fruits, seeds and seedlings of Annona crassiflora Mart., A. muricata L. and A. squamosa L. The characters were: shape, coloration, weight, longitudinal and transverse diameters, weight of the pulp, weight of the rind + stowage, weight of seeds and number of seeds per fruit, in 50 fruits of each species. In addition, longitudinal and transverse diameters, thicknesses and individual weights were measured in 100 seeds of each species. For the study of the seedling morphology, seeds were sown in substrate composed of soil and sand (3:1), in a randomized array, with four replicates of 25 seeds of each species. Evaluations were made daily to distinguish eight developmental stages. The fruits of the three species are multiple, formed by numerous fruticulos, united between them forming a syncarp, and the seeds are glabrous, of oblong form and hard testa. The biometrics data showed great interspecific variability, although the pulp, in all species, represented the main constituent of the fruits. A. crassiflora and A. squamosa species exhibited an epigeal germination and A. muricata, hypogeal germination behavior. The morphological aspects of each species, within the distinct stages, were constant and homogeneous, making them good tools to be used in taxonomic and ecological studies.