Abstract
Seedling morphology was studied in 22 species ofLespedeza, of which six belong to subgenusMacroles-pedeza and 16 to subgenusLespedeza. Two seedling types were recognized: 1) those with opposite leaves at the first node; 2) those having the first and subsequent leaves alternate. The two types are distinguished in the number of leaf primordia in the plumule of the seed: the opposite type has two leaf primordia, but the alternate type has only one primordium. Most species exhibited one of the two types, but rarely both types were observed in several species. In species having two types, one type always far outnumbers the other. The opposite type was common in Asian species, while the alternate type was common in North American ones. Because seedlings are of the opposite type inKummerowia which is the most closely related genus withLespdeza, the alternate type is considered to be apomorphic inLespedeza. The apomorphic seedling morphology is, there-fore, dominantly occurred in North American species ofLespedeza. This fact may be an evidence which suggests a monophyletic origin for North American species from an Asian ancesfor.
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Nemoto, T., Ohashi, H. Seedling morphology ofLespedeza (Leguminosae). J. Plant Res. 106, 121–128 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02344415
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02344415