Morphological characterization of fruits and seeds and post-seminal development of Myrcia retorta Cambess
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2025v46n2p503Keywords:
Brazilian flora, Germination, Micro-CT, Myrtaceae, Native trees.Abstract
Myrcia retorta (Myrtaceae) is a small native Brazilian tree, commonly known as guamirim, found mainly in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. It plays a crucial role in these ecosystems by providing food and shelter for various animal species. Additionally, it is valued in landscaping and for its medicinal properties. To expand our knowledge of this species, we aimed to characterize the morphology of its fruits and seeds and assess seed germination and vigor. Understanding these characteristics is essential for species identification and provides a foundation for studies in plant organography and systematics. For this purpose, seeds were classified into two batches: (1) spherical seeds from monospermic fruits and (2) from dyspermic fruits. One hundred fruits were sampled, and the following characteristics were evaluated: dimensions (length, width, and thickness), texture, color, dehiscence, pericarp consistency, and number of seeds per fruit. Both batches were subjected to X-ray micro-computed tomography to assess cotyledon type, hypocotyl-radicle axis, embryo type, endosperm presence, and seed dimensions. Germination tests were conducted to determine germination type, germination rate, and germination speed index (GSI). Our results indicate that M. retorta produces bacaceous fruits that are monospermic, dyspermic, or trispermic, spherical in shape, and vinaceous in color. Germination is epigeal and phanerocotylar. Germination in batch 1 was 51% with a GSI of 2.05, whereas in batch 2, germination was 52% with a GSI of 1.75. The use of monospermic or dyspermic fruits is recommended for seedling production. Additionally, X-ray micro-computed tomography proved to be an effective, non-destructive technique for analyzing the internal and external morphology of M. retorta seeds.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Sérgio Pedro Junior, Débora Perdigão Tejo, Hugo Roldi Guariz, Cristiano Medri, Eduardo Inocente Jussiani, Ricardo Tadeu de Faria
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