Morphological and anatomical characteristics of seedlings of selected indigenous and introduced palms in West Bengal, India

Abstract

Investigations on seedling morphology in vascular plants have increasingly emerged as a reliable taxonomic tool for both monographic and systematic studies. In the family Arecaceae (Palmae), two principal types of germination are commonly recognized, namely remote germination and adjacent germination, which provide significant diagnostic value. The present study deals with the morphological and anatomical characteristics of germination patterns in selected indigenous and introduced palm species representing six subfamilies. Special emphasis has been given to key seedling structures such as hyperphyll, cataphyll, eophyll, and primary root, which exhibit considerable variation among taxa. Detailed anatomical observations of the eophyll, petiole, stem, and root were carried out to understand internal structural differences and their taxonomic relevance. The study reveals that both external morphology and internal anatomy of seedlings offer stable and distinguishable characters that can be effectively utilized for early identification of palm taxa, even before the reproductive stage. The findings contribute to filling the existing gap in palm seedling studies and highlight the importance of integrating seedling morphology with anatomical data in taxonomic and evolutionary investigations of Arecaceae.