Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Azza A. F. Khafagi ${ }^{1}$, Abbas A. El- Ghamery ${ }^{1}$, Omran N. Ghaly ${ }^{2}$ and Osama G. Ragab ${ }^{1 *}$
${ }^{1}$ Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
${ }^{2}$ The Herbarium, Ecology and Ranges Department, Desert Research Center, Matariya, Egypt
*Corresponding author: osama_gamal84@azhar.edu.eg

Abstract

The fruit and seed morphology of 24 species, representing seven genera of Solanaceae were investigated by using a binocular stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), to determine the significance of fruit and seed coat features as taxonomic characters. Morphological characters, including color, texture, shape, fruit type, hilum position, anticlinal shape and periclinal shape. There were three major patterns of seed ornamentation: irregular reticulate, regular reticulate and verrucate reticulate. The dendrogram showed that species could be grouped into two major clusters, the first cluster (I) contains 15 species and divided into two groups, while the second cluster (II) contains nine species that can be divided into two groups. The data proved useful in the construction of a dichotomous indented key to the studied species. Twenty characters were used to create systematic Key using DELTA key-generating programs. The results indicate that the morphological characteristics of fruits and seeds would be helpful for the identification of Solanaceae species.

Key words: Morphology, Seed, Fruit, SEM, Solanaceae

Introduction

The Solanaceae is one of the most important and large families of flowering plants. The family is widely distributed in a diversity range of ecological habitats in both tropical and temperate regions. It consists of about 98 genera and 2700 species (Olmstead and Bohs 2007).

In Egypt Solanaceae is a wellrepresented family, about 30-33 wild species belonging to eight genera according to (Täckholm 1974 and Boulos 2002; 2009). Moreover (Hepper 1998) reported that the family is represented by 25 genera and about 91 species including cultivated species.

The first systematic classification of the Solanaceae was proposed by (Dunal 1852) and consisted of a division of the 61 genera known at the time, into two tribes and 11 subtribes, while (Wettstein 1895) divided the Solanaceae into two series A and B which comprise three and two tribes respectively. Recently, Hunziker (2001) classified the family into 6 subfamilies and about 21 tribes.

Several workers (Dachyshyn 1965, Srivastava 1969, Nha & Danert 1973, Dave et al., 1980, Symon 1979 & 1984, Chiarini & Barboza 2007 and Zhigila et al., 2014) described the morphological characters of fruit in some species
of Solanaceae.
Seed micro and macromorphology have been shown to provide useful characters for taxonomic relationship of plant families (Esau 1953, Mohana 1974, Corner 1976, Barthlott 1981 & 1984 and Shetler 1986). Recent studies on Solanaceae have shown that seed morphology characters are of considerable systematic significance, both at the generic and specific levels. Several previous studies have examined seed morphology of various members of some species of Solanaceae using both light and scanning electron microscopy. (Bahadur & Farooqui 1986, Axelius 1992; Zhang & Wen 1996 Hoare & Knapp 1997; Carvalho et al., 1999, Zhang & Lu 1999; Kong et al., 2011; Ghimire et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2005, Kaya et al., 2016 and Ahmed & Fadl 2016).

The aim of the present study is to describe the diagnostic characters of fruit and seed of the studied species as important tools in the delimitation of clade within Solanaceae.

Materials and Methods

The present study included 24 species of Solanaceae belonging to two subfamilies and five tribes according to the classification of Hunziker (2001). The study was based on fresh materials collected from different

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

localities in Egypt in addition to Herbarium specimens, in few cases, kept in Cairo University Herbarium (CAI) and the Herbarium of the Desert Research Center (CAIH). Specimens of studied taxa were prepared and kept in the herbarium of Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science (Boys branch) Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. Data of the collected materials are shown in Table 1. (N.B. specimens of $S$. sinaicum collected from cultivated specimen grown in Agricultural Museum).

The collected materials were identified by means of comparison with specimens kept in different Herbaria. In addition, keys of Täckholm (1974) and Boulos (2002) were also used.

Fruit and seed details were examined with the aid of binocular stereo microscope under incident light and photographs. Also for the study of seed using SEM, three seed were mounted on metal stubs, coated, golden, examined and photographed by JEOL Scanning electron microscope at the accelerating voltage of 18 kv , at the Electron Microscope at The Regional Center for Mycology and Biotechnology, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

All the examined species were used as operational taxonomic units (OUT’s). The 20 character states which resulted from morphological data were analyzed by means of Hierarchical Cluster analysis used distance and similarity measure Bray-Curtis Sorensen.

The relationships between the studied species of Solanaceae have been demonstrated as dendrograms (Fig. 1-A and 1-B) by using statistical programs PC-ORD (Software, version 5) and Primer (Software, version 6.0). A total of 20 comparative morphological characters for studied species were scored and coded for creating data matrix used for numerical analysis. The relationships between the studied species have been demonstrated as generating Key by using the statistical program DELTA software of programs (Dallwitz 2010).

Results and Discussion

1. Fruit morphology

Fruit is very variable in shape, type, texture, color, size and dehiscence (Table 2 and Plate 1).
The fruit color varied from black in $L$. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii and S. nigrum var. nigrum, black-red in L. europaeum, yellow-orange in $S$. coagulans, $S$. elaeagnifolium, S. forsskaolii and S. incanum, orange in L. shawii, P. peruviana, S. sinaicum and $S$. villosum subsp. villosum, grey in $P$. ixocarpa, bright red in W. somnifera, yellowish green in $P$. angulata, orange red in $W$. obtusifolia to brown in the rest.

The fruit types of the studied species ranged between capsule in D. innoxia, D. stramonium, H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, H. muticus, H. pusillus, N. glauca and $N$. rustica and berry in all the rest of the studied taxa. Fruit dehiscence by valves in $D$. innoxia, D. stramonium, N. glauca and N. rustica, circumscissile in H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, H. muticus and H. pusillus and indehiscence in the rest.

The shape of fruit ranged between globose in most studied species, spheroidal in D. innoxia, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium, S. forsskaolii, S.incanum, S. nigrum var. nigrum, S. sinaicum and S. villosum subsp. villosum, ovoid in D. stramonium, N. glauca and N. rustica and oblong in H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, H. muticus and H. pusillus. The length of the fruits ranged between; $0.4-1.5$ cm . in most studied species and $1.7-2.5 \mathrm{~cm}$. in S. incanum while 3.2-3.9 cm in D. innoxia and D. stramonium. On the other hand, the width recorded $1.7-3.6 \mathrm{~cm}$. in $D$. innoxia, $D$. stramonium and $S$. incanum while $0.4-1.5 \mathrm{~cm}$. in the remainders.

The fruit included in opened calyx in all studied species of Hyoscyamus and Nicotiana, it was included in closed calyx in studied species of Physalis and Withania and exposed in the rest of the studied taxa.

The texture of the fruit ranged between spiny in D. innoxia and D. stramonium, Glabrescent in S. elaeagnifolium, tuberculate in H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, H. muticus and H. pusillus and glabrous in the remainders.

Khafagi et al.

Table 1: List of the collected species for the present study

*Cultivated species

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Table 2: Morphological characters of fruit

Fruit color: 1= brown / 2= black / 3=black - red/ 4=yellow-orange / 5=orange / 6=grey / 7=bright red / 8= yellowish green $/ 9=$ orange red
Fruit type: 1= capsule $/ 2=$ berry
Fruit dehiscence: 1=valve /2=circumscissile /3=indehiscence
Fruit shape: 1= spherical $/ 2=$ ovoid $/ 3=$ oblong $/ 4=$ globose
Fruit calyx: $1=$ exposed $/ 2=$ included in opened calyx $/ 3=$ included in closed calyx
Fruit texture: 1= spiny $/ 2=$ glabrous $/ 3=$ glabrescent $/ 4=$ tuberculate

Khafagi et al.

Datura innoxia

Hyoscyamus boveanus

Hyoscyamus pusillus

Lycium shawii

Datura stramonium

Hyoscyamus muticus

Lycium europaeum

Nicotiana glauca

Hyoscyamus albus

Hyoscyamus desertorum

Lycium schweinfurthii var. aschersonii

Nicotiana rustica

Plate 1 (Figs. 1-12): Fruit morphology in studied species.

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Physalis angulata

Solanum elaeagnifolium

Solanum sinaicum

Solanum villosum subsp. villosum

Physalis ixocarpa

Solanum forsskaolii

Solanum incanum

Withania somnifera

Physalis peruviana

Solanum coagulans

Solanum nigrum var. nigrum

Withania obtusifolia

Plate 1 (Figs. 13-24): Fruit morphology in studied species.

Khafagi et al.

2. Seed morphology

The morphology of mature seed showed some variation in size, shape, color, texture, measurement, ornamentation and hilum position (Table 3 and plate 2 and 3 ).

The number of seed / fruit is many, more than 8 seeds in most studied species but few (48 seeds) in L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii, L. shawii, S. coagulans and $S$. forsskaolii. Seed shape ranged between reniform in D. innoxia, D. stramonium, H. boveanus, L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii, L. shawii, S. forsskaolii and W. obtusifolia, oblong- obovate in N. glauca, broadly ovoid in H. desertorum, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium, S. incanum and S. sinaicum and obovoid in the remainders. Seed is flattened in D. innoxia, P. ixocarpa, P. peruviana, S. forsskaolii, S. sinaicum, S. villosum subsp. villosum and W. somnifera, slightly convex in H. albus, H. boveanus, L. shawii, P. angulata, S. elaeagnifolium, S. incanum, S. nigrum var. nigrum and $W$. obtusifolia and convex in the remainders.

The color of seed: varied from light brown, black, brown, yellow to brown, yellow, yellowish brown and dark brown. The yellowish brown in most studied species, light brown in D. innoxia and W. obtusifolia, black in D. stramonium, brown in L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii, L. shawii and N. glauca, yellow to brown in S. incanum, yellow in $P$. angulata, $P$. ixocarpa, $P$. peruviana, S. sinaicum and W. somnifera and dark brown in N. rustica, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium and S. forsskaolii. Seed texture smooth in S. elaeagnifolium, rough in $D$. innoxia and D. stramonium, slightly tuberculate in $P$. angulata, Ph. ixocarpa, Ph. peruviana, S. coagulans, S. incanum, $S$. nigrum var. nigrum, S. sinaicum and $S$. villosum subsp. villosum, striate in N. glauca and tuberculate in the rest.

The length of seeds ranged between; $0.6-1.3 \mathrm{~mm}$. in H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, H. pusillus, N. glauca and N. rustica while it was 2.8 mm . in D. innoxia, $D$. stramonium, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium
and $S$. forsskaolii and 1.4-2.8 mm. in the remainders.

The width of seed was less than 2 mm . in most studied species and 2 mm or more in $D$. innoxia, D. stramonium, L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii, L. shawii, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium and $S$. forsskaolii.

The hilum position: is usually terminal while it was subterminal in D. innoxia, $D$. stramonium, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium, S. sinaicum and W. obtusifolia and lateral in H. albus, H. desertorum, L. europaeum, N. glauca, N. rustica, P. angulata, P. ixocarpa and $P$. peruviana. Hilum shape inconspicuous in most studied species and conspicuous in $D$. innoxia, D. stramonium, H. desertorum, L. europaeum, L. shawii, N. glauca, N. rustica, P. angulata, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium and S. forsskaolii.

Seeds were shiny in S. coagulans and $S$. elaeagnifolium and dull in the remainders.

Seed ornamentation

There were three major patterns of seed ornamentation: Irregular reticulate in most studied species (Plate 3); regular reticulate in S. forsskaolii (Plate 3; Fig. 18) and verrucate reticulate in D. innoxia and D. stramonium (Plate 3; Figs. 1-2)
Anticlinal wall shape: was usually undulate, slightly undulate in D. stramonium, D. innoxia, H. muticus, L. shawii, S. elaeagnifolium, S. sinaicum and S. villosum subsp. villosum, slightly straight in L. europaeum and $L$. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii and straight in S. forsskaolii.

Anticlinal thickness: is thin in H. muticus, N. glauca, N. rustica, S. forsskaolii and $W$. obtusifolia, thick in H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, S. coagulans, S. elaeagnifolium and $S$. villosum subsp. villosum and very thick in the rest.
Anticlinal level: was raised in most of the studied species, slightly raised in D. innoxia, D. stramonium, H. desertorum, H. muticus, L. shawii, N. glauca, S. elaeagnifolium, S. incanum, S. nigrum var. nigrum, S. villosum subsp. villosum and W. obtusifolia and grooved in $P$. angulata, $P$. ixocarpa and $P$. peruviana.
Periclinal wall: may be flat, slightly concave and concave. The slightly concave in $D$.

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

innoxia, S. elaeagnifolium and S. forsskaolii, concave in H. albus, H. boveanus, H. desertorum, H. muticus, L. shawii, S. incanum and $W$. obtusifolia and flat in the reminders.

Also the cells are usually wide, narrow in D. innoxia, D. stramonium, H. pusillus, L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii, S. elaeagnifolium, S. incanum, S. nigrum var.
nigrum, S. villosum subsp. villosum and $W$. somnifera and very wide in H. muticus, $N$. glauca and $N$. rustica.

From the SEM data, it was noticed that the seed surface sculpture, aspects of the anticlinal and periclinal walls could serve as good diagnostic parameters at the generic and specific level in the studied Solanaceae.

Table 3: Morphological characters of seed

Number of seeds in fruit: $1=(4-8$ seeds) few $/ 2=$ many more than 8 seeds
Seed shape: 1=reniform $/ 2=$ obovoid $/ 3=$ oblong obovate $/ 4=$ broad ovate
Seed: $1=$ flattened $/ 2=$ slightly convex $/ 3=$ convex
Seed color: 1=light brown / 2= black $/ 3=$ brown $/ 4=$ yellow to brown $/ 5=$ yellow $/ 6=$ yellowish brown $/ 7=$ dark brown
Seed texture: $1=$ smooth $/ 2=$ rough $/ 3=$ tuberculate $/ 4=$ slightly tuberculate $/ 5=$ striate
Hilum position: $1=$ terminal $/ 2=$ subterminal $/ 3=$ lateral
Hilum shape: $1=$ conspicuous $/ 2=$ inconspicuous
Seed shines: $1=$ shiny $/ 2=$ dull
Seed ornamentation: 1 = regular reticulate / 2=irregular reticulate / 3=verrucate reticulate
Anticlinal shape: 1=slightly undulate / 2= undulate / 3= slightly straight / 4=straight
Anticlinal thickness: $1=$ thin / 2=thick/ 3= very thick
Anticlinal level: $1=$ slightly raised $/ 2=$ raised $/ 3=$ grooved
Periclinal shape: $1=$ flat $/ 2=$ slightly concave $/ 3=$ concave
Cells: 1=narrow / 2=wide / 3=very wide

Khafagi et al.

Datura innoxia

Hyoscyamus boveanus

Hyoscyamus pusillus

Lycium shawii

Datura stramonium

Hyoscyamus desertorum

Lycium europaeum

Nicotiana glauca

Hyoscyamus albus

Hyoscyamus muticus

Lycium schweinfurthii var. aschersonii

Nicotiana rustica

Plate 2 (Figs. 1-12): LM micrographs of the seed morphology in studied species.

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Plate 2 (Figs. 13-24): LM micrographs of the seed morphology in studied species.

Khafagi et al.

Datura innoxia

Datura stramonium

Hyoscyamus albus

Hyoscyamus boveanus

Hyoscyamus pusillus

Lycium europaeum

Lycium schweinfurthii var. aschersonii

Lycium shawii

Nicotiana glauca

Nicotiana rustica

Plate 3 (Figs. 1-12): SEM micrographs of seed surface in studied species

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Plate 3 (Figs. 13-24): SEM micrographs of seed surface in studied species

3. Numerical analysis:

3. A. Cluster analysis

The 20 morphological characters of fruit and seed used in cluster analysis are included in data matrix occupy in operational taxonomic units OUT’s to analyse the relationships between the 24 studied species by means of Hierarchical Cluster analysis using the PCORD software, version 5 and PRIMER software, version 6.0 analysis used similarity and distance measure Bray Curtis.

In the dendrogram produced from using PC-ORD program used distance measure Bray Curtis (Fig. 1-A) showed that twenty four species were grouped into two major clusters.

The first cluster (I) consisted of (15 species) and divided into two groups: group " 1 " consisted of eight species, and subdivided into two subgroups: subgroup “a” contains three species L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii and L. shawii. At the same time, the subgroup “b” consists of five species P. angulata, P. ixocarpa, P. peruviana, W. obtusifolia and W. somnifera. The group " 2 " which subdivided into two subgroups:
subgroup “2a” incorporated; S. coagulans, S. incanum, S. sinaicum, S. nigrum var. nigrum, S. villosum subsp. villosum and $S$. elaeagnifolium and the subgroup " 2 b " consists of only one species $S$. forsskaolii.

The second cluster (II) comprises the remainders ( 9 species) and divided into two groups: group " 3 " consisted of two species, $D$. innoxia and D. stramonium. The group " 4 " consisted of seven species and subdivided into two subgroups: subgroup “3a” contains five species H. albus, H. desertorum, H. boveanus, H. pusillus and H. muticus and subgroup “3b” comprises two species $N$. glauca and $N$. rustica.

In the dendrogram produced from using PRIMER program used similarity measure Bray Curtis (Fig. 1-B) showed that twenty four species were grouped into two major clusters.

The first cluster (I) consisted of two species D. innoxia and D. stramonium and the second cluster (II) comprises the rest.

The results of cluster analysis using PCORD program Fig. 1-A agreed with that produced by PRIMER program Fig. 1-B.

fruit and seed

Fig. 1-A: Dendrogram showing the interrelationships between 24 species of Solanaceae based on fruit and seed characters by using PC-ORD Program.

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

Fig. 1-B: Dendrogram showing the interrelationships between 24 species of Solanaceae based on fruit and seed characters by using PRIMER Program.

3. B. Computer generating Key:

In the present study, 24 species were used as the Operational Taxonomic Units. A total of selected 20 attribute. These attribute representing the morphology aspects. The
construction of the key was carried by using DELTA (Description Language for Taxonomy).

Characters: 20 in data, 20 included, 15 in key.
Items: 24 in data, 24 included, 24 in key.
Characters included: $1-20$
Character reliabilities: $1-20,5$

1. Fruit color brown… 2

Fruit color black… 6
Fruit color black - red… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Khafagi et al.

4(2). Seed shape reniform. Hyoscyamus boveanus
Seed shape obovoid … 5
Seed shape broad ovate. Hyoscyamus desertorum
5(4). Hilum position terminal; Seed convex; Anticlinal thickness very thick; Periclinal shape flat. … Hyoscamus pusillus
Hilum position lateral; Seed slightly convex; Anticlinal thickness thick; Periclinal shape concave. Hyoscyamus albus
6(1). Seed color brown; Fruit shape globose; Number of seeds in fruit few; Seed shape reinform. Lycium schweinfurthii var. aschersonii
Seed color yellowish brown; Fruit shape spherical; Number of seeds in fruit many; Seed shape obovoid. Solanum nigrum var. nigrum
7(1). Seed texture smooth; Anticlinal shape slightly undulate. Solanum elaeagnifolium Seed texture tuberculate; Anticlinal shape straight. Solanum forsskaolii Seed texture slightly tuberculate; Anticlinal shape undulate. … 8
8(7). Seed color yellow to brown; Hilum position terminal; Number of seeds in fruit many; Hilum inconspicuous. Solanum incanum
Seed color dark brown; Hilum position subterminal; Number of seeds in fruit few; Hilum conspicuous. Solanum coagulans
9(1). Seed color brown. Lycium shawii Seed color yellow … 10
Seed color yellowish brown. Solanum villosum subsp. villosum
10(9). Hilum position subterminal; Fruit shape spherical; Fruit exposed; Seed shape broad ovate. Solanum sinaicum
Hilum position lateral; Fruit shape globose; Fruit included in closed calyx; Seed shape obovoid Physalis peruviana
3. C. Artificial Key to the studied species of family Solanaceae
1.a. Fruit capsule … 2
1.b. Fruit berry … 10
2.a. Fruit dehiscence by valves … 3
2.b. Fruit dehiscence by circumscissile … 6
3.a. Fruit exposed, Fruit texture spiny, Seed ornamentation verrucate reticulate … 4
3.b Fruit included in opened calyx, Fruit texture glabrous, Seed ornamentation. … 5
4.a. Fruit spheroidal, Seed light brown, flattened; periclinal wall slightly concave
Datura innoxia
4.b. Fruit ovoid; seed black, convex; periclinal wall flat … Datura stramonium
5.a. Seed oblong - obovoid, brown, striate; anticlinal wall slightly raised … Nicotiana glauca
5.b. Seed obovoid, dark brown, tuberculate; anticlinal wall raised Nicotiana rustica
6.a. Seed reniform. Hyoscyamus boveanus
6.b. Seed broadly ovoid-obovate … 7
7.a. Seed ovoid. Hyoscyamus desertorum
7.b. Seed obovate … 8
8.a. Seed brown; anticlinal wall slightly undulate. Hyoscyamus muticus
8.b. Seed yellowish brown; anticlinal shape undulate … 9
9.a. Hilum lateral; anticlinal wall thick; periclinal wall concave. Hyoscyamus albus
9.b. Hilum terminal; anticlinal wall very thick; periclinal wall flat. Hyoscyamus pusillus
10.a. Fruit spheroid. … 11
10.b. Fruit globose. … 17
11.a. Seed ornamentation regulary reticulate Solanum forsskaolii

Fruit and Seed Morphology of Some Species of Solanaceae

11.b. Seed ornamentation irregularly reticulate … 12
12.a. Seed shiny … 13
12.b. Seed dull … 14
13.a. Number of seeds in fruit few; seed slightly tuberculate, convex; anticlinal wall undulate, raised; periclinal wall flat, cells wide Solanum coagulans
13.b. Number of seeds in fruit many, seed smooth, slightly convex; anticlinal wall slightly undulate, slightly raised; periclinal wall concave, cells narrow…Solanum elaeagnifolium
14.a. Seed slightly convex; anticlinal wall undulated … 15
14.b. Seed flattened; anticlinal shape slightly undulated … 16
15.a. Fruit yellow-orange, Seed broadly ovoid; periclinal wall concave Solanum incanum
15.b. Fruit black, seed obovoid, periclinal wall flat Solanum nigrum var. nigrum
16.a. Seed yellow; anticlinal wall raised; cells wide Solanum sinaicum
16.b. Seed yellowish brown; anticlinal level slightly raised, cells narrow Solanum villosum subsp. villosum
17.a. Fruit exposed … 18
17.b. Fruit included in closed calyx … 20
18.a. Seed slightly convex, Anticlinal shape slightly undulate, Anticlinal level slightly raised, Periclinal shape concave, Cells wide Lycium shawii
18.b. Seed convex, Anticlinal shape slightly straight, Anticlinal level raised, Periclinal shape flat, Cells narrow … 19
19.a. Fruit color black-red, Hilum position lateral … Lycium europaeum
19.b. Fruit color black, Hilum position terminal…Lycium schweinfurthii var. aschersonii
20.a. Hilum position terminal or sub terminal, Anticlinal level raised … 21
20.b. Hilum position lateral, Anticlinal level grooved … 22
21.a. Fruit orange red, Hilum sub terminal, Anticlinal slightly raised…Withania obtusifolia
21.b. Fruit bright red, Hilum terminal, Anticlinal raised … Withania somnifera
22.a. Seed convex, Seed length < 2 mm , Hilum conspicuous. Physalis angulata
22.b. Seed flattened, Seed length $>2 \mathrm{~mm}$, Hilum inconspicuous … 23
23.a. Fruit grey. Physalis ixocarpa
23.b. Fruit orange Physalis peruviana
The main results of the numerical analysis are: D. innoxia and D. stramonium to be separated from the rest of the genera as a distinct tribe Datureae. This result agrees and supports the view of Wettestein, (1895) and Hunziker (2001). N. glauca and N. rustica (Nicotianeae - Cestroideae) are deeply immersed in group 4 together with Hyoscyamus species (Hyoscyameae Solanoideae). This result agrees and supports the view of Dunal classification, (1852). L. europaeum, L. schweinfurthii var. aschersonii and L. shawii (Lycieae) are deeply seated in group1 among an assortment of genera belonging to Solaneae this result agrees and support the view of Dunal, (l.c.).

The variability in seed surface patterns is seemingly very useful in the recognition of all species studied. This agrees with the results
reported by Kong et al., (2011). They showed that the finer details of the seed surface appear useful for delimitation at generic level and also species level among the species investigated of Solanaceae.

In conclusion, it could be confirmed that valuable taxonomic evidence has been obtained from studying fruit and seed characteristics in some species of Solanaceae. Many of these characteristics are diagnostic at both the generic and specific levels.

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