Ultrasculptures of seeds of representatives of a genus Isodon (Schrad ex Benth.) Spach (Lamiaceae lindl.)

The studied was ultrasculpture of seed surface of 2 representatives of the genus Isodon (Schrad. ex Benth.) Spach from the family LamiaceaeLindl.– I. japonicus (Burman) H. Hara and I. japonicus (N. Z. Burm) Hara var. glaucocalyx (Maxim.) H. W. Li, introduced in the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Right-bank Forest-steppe). Representatives of the genus are common in the Asian region with the greatest species diversity in China; 2 species are found in the tropical regions of Africa. Screening of literary foreign sources showed that microscopic studies of the seeds of the species and variate did not occur, at least we did not find any information on this issue. This prompted us to investigate the macro- and micromorphology of the seeds. SEM was used in the work. Methodically guided by the well-known work of W. Barthlott. The descriptive part is documented photographically. As a result of the experiment, features in morphology and structure, common and distinctive features of seeds, morphological descriptions of their shape, color, primary and secondary sculpture of spermoderm are revealed. It has been established different types of external relief for species and the variete: for I. japonicus, a characteristic densely hilly relief, and for I. japonicus var. glaucocalyx– irregularly-mesh.Also revealed differences in the structure of the outer periclinal and anticlinal walls. The outer periclinal walls of the species are convex, anticlinal concave, and in the variate– concave and protruding respectively. The spermoderm of the seeds I. japonicus var. glaucocalyx is characterize by the presence of various types of papillomas in the apical region and stomatal cells, the significance and function of which still need to be further investigated. Differences in the microrelief of the seeds can be used as auxiliary diagnostic features at the species taxonomic level for plants of the genus Isodon, obtained under conditions of introduction from the seeds of the Index Seminum system.