Morphological characteristics of seeds of four species of the genus Cuscuta (Cuscutaceae) of the Amur Region

The genus Cuscuta is one of the complex taxonomic groups of flowering plants. This paper presents the results of the study of the seed morphology and the seed coat sculpture of the Cuscuta campestris Yanck., C. tinei Inzenga, C. japonica Choisy, C. europaea L., occurring in the Amur Region. The study of the seed external structure has shown that the color, shape, the characteristics of the seed surface and the shape of the hilum are species-specific. The seed hilum in C. japonica, C. campestris, C. europaea is clearly visible, while in C. tinei it is barely noticeable, slightly depressed. Based on morphological characteristics, a short key has been compiled to identify the studied species of the genus Cuscuta by their seeds.