Comparative study of foliage leaf and bract leaf anatomy of six species of Cyperus L. (Cyperaceae) from West Bengal

Six species of Cyperus L. are anatomically characterized in an attempt to identify diagnostic characters and to find out the possible relationship among the studied species. From the present study, we observed that some anatomical features are alike to all the studied species (such as foliage leaf bulliform cell layer, form of foliage leaf sclerenchyma, bract leaf bulliform cell layer, form of bract leaf sclerenchyma and position of sclerenchyma in relation to vascular bundle in bract leaf), while others characters (like minor vascular bundle position in foliage leaf and bract leaf, foliage leaf epidermis layer, transverse septum between aerenchyma etc.) are variable. The studied taxa were separated on the basis of 14 inter-specifically variable characters (these are, presence of air cavities in foliage leaf, major vascular bundles position in relation to air cavities in foliar leaf, presence of minor vascular bundle, morphology of foliage leaf blade margins, total number of bulliform cells in foliage leaf, foliage leaf mestome sheaths form, angle of foliage leaf margin, bract leaf air cavities, major vascular bundles position in relation to air cavities in bract leaf, presence of minor vascular bundle in bract leaf, bract leaf blade margin morphology, bract leaf mestome sheaths form, depth of keel in bract leaf, maximum thickness at one half middle of bract leaf). The key to the identification of the studied taxa is also prepared from anatomical data.