Taxonomic characterizations of the genus Commicarpus Standl. (Nyctaginaceae) in Saudi Arabia

by Maad S. Ytemi, Hameed Alsamadany, Faraj Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, Abadi M.

Mashlawi, A. El-Shabasy The genus Commicarpus Standl.

is a member of the family Nyctaginaceae. The genus includes about 30–35 species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including Saudi Arabia.

Five species of Commicarpus are found through, the field survey, which are primarily concentrated in the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia. The collected species are C.

grandiflorus , C. helenae , C.

mistus , C. plumbagineus , and C.

sinuatus . The aim of this study is to do morphological, anatomical, and palynological analyses of these species.

Morphologically, growth habit, stem texture, leaf characteristics, floral structure, and fruit morphology were evaluated, these characters are significant to distinguish Commicarpus species. Anatomical studies of the stems, leaves, and petioles show some important characteristics that can help to separate Commicarpus species, including variations in collenchyma and chlorenchyma layers, vascular bundle arrangement, and mesophyll structure.

Petiole anatomy, particularly the shape and arrangement of ground tissue and vascular bundles, provides additional taxonomic markers.