Introduction:

The morpho-anatomical study of seeds and their embryos serves to obtain information on germination, storage and viability.

Objective:

To describe the morphoanatomy of the embryo of the palm species Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart., at the cellular level.

Materials and methods:

The embryos were obtained from mature fruits of A. aculeata, collected in individuals of a native population near the city of San Lorenzo, Central Department, Paraguay. The morpho-anatomical study was done by means of the fixation, dehydration and inclusion of the embryos in resin blocks and qualitative analysis by means of microscopy.

Results and discussion:

The embryo is small, greenish yellow and lanceolate. The cotyledon is located at the proximal end, and the limbus or haustorium in the distal. The embryo has a longitudinal slit or cotyledon window that allows the emergence of the seedling (radicle and plumule). The well-differentiated plumule is positioned at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the embryo, opposite to which is the meristematic zone, where the radicle will develop. The plumule consists of two leaf primordia and one apex, with the outline of a third primordium.

Conclusion:

In general, the A. aculeata embryo is similar to that of other palms of the same group, in terms of shape and inclusion in the endosperm.