In the Caryophyllaceae, seed surfaces contain cell protrusions, of varying sizes and shapes, called tubercles. Tubercles have long been described in many species, but quantitative analyses with measurements of size and shape are lacking in the literature. Based on optical photography, the seeds of Silene were classified into four types: smooth, rugose, echinate and papillose. Seeds in each of these groups have characteristic geometrical properties: smooth seeds lack tubercles and have the highest values of circularity and solidity in their lateral views, while papillose seeds have the largest tubercles and lowest values of circularity and solidity both in lateral and dorsal views. Here, tubercle width, height and slope, maximum and mean curvature values and maximum to mean curvature ratio were obtained for representative seeds of a total of 31 species, 12 belonging to Silene subg. Behenantha and 19 to S. subg. Silene. The seeds of the rugose type had lower values of curvature. Additionally, lower values of curvature were found in species of S. subg. Silene in comparison with S. subg. Behenantha. The seeds of S. subg. Behenantha had higher values of tubercle height and slope and higher values of maximum and average curvature and maximum to mean curvature ratio.

Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales Universidad de Alicante 03690 Alicante Spain

Departamento de Matemáticas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Salamanca Plaza de la Merced 1 4 37008 Salamanca Spain

Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Cordel de Merinas 40 37008 Salamanca Spain

Plant Developmental Genetics Institute of Biophysics v v i Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Královopolská 135 612 65 Brno Czech Republic

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