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In this research, plant morphology and pollen micromorphology of 14 populations of 3 species belonging to two sections Plethiosphace and Hemisphace of Salvia genus in Iran were studied. In the morphological study 25 quantitative and qualitative characters were investigated and the results clearly separated the species into two groups. The pollen grains from the herbarium specimens were prepared by acetolysis method and then 4 quantitative characters were examined by light microscopy. Data was processed by principal component analysis method. Results indicated that although the pollen grains in the section were comparatively homogenous and all of them were 6-colpate with reticulate ornamentation, a considerable variation in the quantitative characters studied turned out to exist. However among the characters studied, equatorial and polar diameters of pollen grains were the most significant and based on these characters the members of these sections can be divided into two groups.

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In this study the morphological and micromorphologcal characters of Ranunculus Sect. Batrachium species in Iran have been investigated. The characters describe leaf, petal and fruit, in addition to pollen grains in four species of the genus including, R. sphaerospermus Boiss. & Blanche, R. trichophyllum Chaix ex. Vill., R. rionii Lagger and R. peltatus Schrank. Pollen grains were tricolpate and had species-specific shapes. The sculpture of the exine was echinnate in all of the species studied. Seven morphological characters have been studied using statistical methods and SPSS software has been used in order to group the species. These analyses indicated that R. sphaerospermus was a valid species and very similar to R. peltatus. Also, intraspecific diversity in R. trichophyllum was confirmed by statistical methods

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Pterocephalus (Caprifoliaceae) consists of 30 species worldwide, mainly distributed in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, of which 14 species were reported from Iran, including five endemic ones. In this study, 35 leaf-related traits and 30 peduncle-related traits were investigated by light microscopy of 15 samples from 11 Iranian species of Ptreocephalus. Our results showed that there were two types of midrib, six types of leaf indumentum and five types of peduncle indumentum. Crystalized calcium oxalate was observed in the leaves and peduncles of most species except in P. plumosus and P. brevis. The profiles of the peduncles were hexagonal, circular or elliptical. The vascular cylinder shape varied from circular to sinuate form. P. wendelboi, with a very different morphology as compared with other species, also exhibited different anatomical characters. The hexagonal sections of peduncle in P. ghahremanii and P. kurdicus and two samples of P. szovitsii were found to be very similar. However, the mentioned characters were found to be less informative or charachterisation of other species. In conclusion, the results showed that the anatomical characters of the leaves and peduncles might have some taxonomic importance in the identification of some species of the genus Pterocephalus.
 
 
 

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Arceuthobium oxycedri is commonly known as dwarf mistletoe and grows on and infects cypress species. The semi-parasitic plant was observed in three locations of Juniper Reza Abad in Semnan Province, Chahar Bagh Area of Gorgan and Zanjan Province. In this study, the anatomical and micromorphological characteristics of the species were evaluated to facilitate the identification of this semi-parasitic species in Golestan province. The outcomes of the analysis indicated that the estimation of infestation rate in dwarf shrub trees is unattainable through factors such as canopy percentage, stand gender, slope percentage, and slope orientation. Examination of the stem's transverse section revealed that, across all three elevations, there were no variations in brain size between the semicircular cross-section and the sink's thickness. Analysis of pollen demonstrated that every pollen grain is classified as Monad, exhibiting three to five deep and asymmetric grooves of varying sizes (tricolpate). In regards to their morphology, they exhibit an oblatespheroidal shape adorned with sharp exine decorations. Overall, given the novelty of this study on dwarf mistletoe species, the discoveries hold significant systematic implications for the identification of analogous species documented in alternative juniper habitats within Iran.