[Study on inflorescences microscopic characteristics of five wild medicinal plants from Chrysanthemum genus in Anhui]

To probe into the disparities in the microscopic characteristics of each part of inflorescences of five wild medicinal plants from Chrysanthemum genus in Anhui Province, and explore the correlation between the distribution of plants and ecological environment.

The transverse sections of peduncles of the five Chrysanthemum species were observed; The surface piles of the involucre, ray flower, and tubular flower were compared; The ultra-morphology of pollen was observed.

There were evident differences, which were associated with ecological environment, among the structures of peduncles of the five species. The morphology of non-glandular hairs on the external involucre presented significant differences, but the morphology of non-glandular hairs tended to be similar gradually from the external to the internal layer of the involucre, and the morphology of surface piles of each part of the inflorescences also tended to converge from the external to the internal. The disparities of glandular hairs among different species were their sizes; As for each species, the size of glandular hairs grew bigger from the involucre to ray flower, and to tubular flower, the density of glandular hairs decreased from the external to the internal layer of the involucre, while it increased on ray flower and tubular flower. The ultra-morphology of pollen of C. zawadskii was distinctly different from that of other species, and disparities of pollen morphology also existed between C. nankingense and C. indicum.

The structure of peduncles and the disparities in morphology of non-glandular hairs on the surface of external involucre can serve as significant basis for differentiating the inflorescences of Chrysanthemum plants. The categorizing of designating C. nankingense as an separate species is supported.