Morphological and anatomical investigations in Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. (Fabaceae): A new addition to the Egyptian flora

Abstract

The morphological, anatomical and micromorphological features of Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. were investigated to assist in the identification of the species as a new record for Egypt. Specimens collected from different places in the Egyptian Nubia (Nubian Nile Valley) confirmed the presence of D. tortuosum as a naturalized species in the country. In general, the results obtained from the morphological studies were consistent with the previous studies on this species. However, the present investigation into leaf, petiole and stem anatomy and the seed and the leaf patterns under light and scanning electron microscopes, respectively, is the first such study on the species. © 2008 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists.