Behnam Hamzeh’ee - Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P. O. Box ۱۳۱۸۵-۱۱۶, Tehran, Iran.
Farideh Attar - Central Herbarium of Tehran University, Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, P. O. Box: ۱۴۱۵۵-۶۴۵۵, Tehran, Iran.
Mohamad Hasan Assareh - Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P. O. Box ۱۳۱۸۵-۱۱۶, Tehran, Iran.
Ali Asghar Maassoumi - Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P. O. Box ۱۳۱۸۵-۱۱۶, Tehran, Iran.
Shahrokh Kazempour Osaloo - Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, ۱۴۱۱۵-۱۷۵, Tehran, Iran.

Micromorphological features regarding lower surface of leaf epidermis and seed surface in eight Crataegus taxa representing the series Pentagynae and series Crataegus subseries Erianthae were studied by scanning electron microscopy. All data were analyzed using Anova and PCA statistical methods. Qualitative traits of lower surface of leaf epidermis include relief of cuticle membrane, striations and kinds of crystalloid waxes allow distinct delimitation at infrageneric, inter- and infraspecific levels, whereas the quantitative characteristics are less informative. The seed traits compared to the leaf features provide less reliable characters in the taxonomy of the genus.

Crataegus, ser. Pentagynae, subser. Erianthae, SEM, Taxonomy, Iran