Abstract

This study based on multiple parameters including morphology, epidermal leaf anatomy and palynological (light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) systematics of 5 species of genus Setaria (Poaceae). The study is confined to five species of the genus Setaria that is, Setaria glauca, Setaria italica, Setaria tomentosa, Setaria verticillata and Setaria viridis. In this study, the main emphasis was on palyno-anatomical characterization used as an aid in systematics. The scanning electron microscopic analysis of grasses, particularly Setariaspecies, has been reported for the first time in Pakistan, and it shows a lot of variation within the species. From this study, S. tomentosa is recorded as a new report in the Flora of Pakistan. It is stated that the study based on classical and modern approaches is very useful for systematic delimitation of problematic taxa like Setaria.

Key words: Palyno-anatomical, elemental dispersive spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy, Setaria (Poaceae).