XVI International Botanical Congess

This study is part of a research project on the embriology of columnar cacti. The development of the ovule, anther and seed is described. The embriology of the species studied showed to be consistent at the specific level. In contrast, the comparison of the micromorphology of seeds by means of scanning electron microscopy shows significant differences in the form of the testal cells and the sculpturing of the cuticle between the five species compared Pterocereus gaumeri, Backebergia militaris, Mitrocereus fulviceps, Pachycereus pringlei and Myrtillocactus geometrizans. Based on the above, the taxonomic importance of embriological characters is discussed.