Dr. Maneezheh Pakravan, Mrs. Azam Javanbakht,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (3-2025)
: Alcea species are valuable medicinal plants used in traditional medicine for a long time. The similarity between species and the diversity of traits have led scientists to use various biosystematics methods to identify species. In this study, the anatomical characteristics of the stem in 18 species of Alcea from Iran were examined. Hand sections in similar positions of the stem were studied and double staining with methyl green and carmine stain, and microscopic images were obtained. The most important traits analyzed in this study were the number of layers of collenchyma cells in the cortex, the thickness and number of layers of sclerenchyma fibers of the phloem, the number of vascular bundles, the ray parenchyma, the thickness of phloem and xylem vessels, and the structure of the pith. Then, cluster analysis using the Ward method was performed with SPSS software based on eight quantitative traits. The results showed that some of the stem's anatomical features, which are observed in closely related species, can only be useful for species identification but are not particularly helpful in grouping the species
