Abstract
DIVERSITY OF TESTAL STRUCTURE AMONG SOME TRIBES OF COMPOSITAE

Seed coat of mature cypselar wall of Compositae is usually termed as testa. It is usually found towords the inner side of pericarp of cypsela. In majority of the taxa, this testal layer exists either attached with the pericarp or secondarily separated from the pericarp. In most cases it is represented by a narrow to wide zone of crusted parenchyma cells or as a dense narrow layer, where cells are not clearly visible, termed as pellicle. Sometimes testal zone is clearly represented by outer and inner zone. Among the tribes of Compositae, the structure of testal zone is very characteristic in Astereae, Arctoteae, Cardueae etc. The structure of testa is less specialized in Inuleae, Heliantheae, Tageteae, Anthemideae, Lactuceae etc. For this study, cypselas of 82 species of the family Compositae have been under taken