BIODIVERSITAS ISSN: 1412-033X Volume 21, Number 11, November 2020 E-ISSN: 2085-4722 Pages: 5531-5539 DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d211162 Morphoanatomy of three Indigofera species (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in Java, Indonesia HENTA FUGARASTI, MUZZAZINAH ♥ , MURNI RAMLI Graduate Progam in Biology Education, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami No. 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. Tel./fax.: +62-271-632450, ♥ email: yayin_pbio@fkip.uns.ac.id Manuscript received: 14 July 2020. Revision accepted: 31 October 2020. Abstract. Fugarasti H, Muzzazinah, Ramli M. 2020. Morphoanatomy of three Indigofera species (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in Java Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5531-5539. This study aimed to explore the morphological and detailed anatomical features of the stems, leaves, and roots from three Indonesian Indigofera species. Morphological-anatomical studies of three Indonesian Indigofera species were carried out using embedded microscopic preparations. The anatomical characters of the specimens were observed using a compound optical microscope with magnification 40x, 100x, and 400x. The observation showed the anatomical cross-section of I. tinctoria stem was rectangular, I. suffruticosa was hexagonal, and I. arrecta was rounded. The tissue structures of Indigofera species, from the outside layer, were the epidermis, thin cortex, secondary phloem (narrow or wide), thick secondary xylem, and conspicuous pith in the middle. Whilst, the corner of I. suffruticosa stem contained thick collenchyma. The vascular bundles were the open collateral. The leaves of Indigofera species are made up of the upper epidermis, mesophyll (palisade parenchyma, spongy parenchyma), and the lower epidermis. The vascular bundles were located in the middle, with five or six segments of the xylem elements and small groups of phloem elements, all in the parallel lines. The primary stele type of the roots is actinostele, cambium activity pushed him aside. The vascular bundle of the roots consisted of a dense and tight secondary xylem composed of thick-walled circular vessels (mostly tightly arranged). Data about the morphoanatomy structure of three Indonesian Indigofera species could complement the novelty of the morpho-anatomy information records obtained by previous researchers. Keywords: Anatomy, Indigofera, Indonesia, morphology INTRODUCTION Indigofera is a genus member of the family Leguminosae-Papilionoideae and is highly diverse, with 700-750 species, and ranked third as the most diverse genus among Leguminosae (Tamilselvi et al. 2011). There are commonly found in various tropical and subtropical regions (Schrire et al. 2009; Soladoye et al. 2010; Zhao and Gao 2015), are annuals or perennials, and habit varies (Zhao et al. 2016). They can be found as low-growing herbs, shrubs, or small trees up to 1.5-3.0 m in height (Rzedowski and Grether 2018; Marquiafável et al. 2009), and with small flowers in axillary racemes (Adema 2011), compound leaves (imparipinnate), and cylindrical pods. This plant has great potency for economic and ecological purposes. It has a variety of uses, such as livestock fodder, ornamental plants, medicine, and textile dyes (Tamilselvi et al. 2011). The highest Indigofera diversity is found in Africa and Madagascar (550 species), Asia (150 species), and Australia (50 species) (Schrire et al. 2009). Among species of Asia, 18 species have been found in Indonesia (de Kort and Thijsse 1984). The latest study describes well-known nine Indigofera species in Java and Madura, four species of which were used as sources of indigo dyes, i.e.: Indigofera. arrecta, I. longiracemosa, I. suffruticosa, and I. tinctoria (Muzzazinah et al. 2016). Indigo dye is famous for the natural blue colors obtained from the leaflets and branches (Soladoye et al. 2010). The dye which is among the most widely used natural dye in the world is obtained mainly from the leaves extraction through a process of fermentation (Leite et al. 2009; Pawade1 and Chinchamalatpure 2020). It is also found, that as the coloring agent for traditional textiles, I. tinctoria found in Java, Madura, and Flores showed different morphological characters that affected the hue and saturation of indigo color on the fabrics (Muzzazinah et al. 2018). Some Indigofera species are strikingly similar morphologically, thus making it difficult to classify them if relying only on their morphological features. In this context, anatomical studies are related to the structure, contents, and development of cells and tissues (Tamilselvi et al. 2011). These studies can be used to identify and provide additional data for two or more taxa that have high morphological similarities. Moreover, Simpson (2006) stated that anatomical studies support other research in plant science, such as morphogenesis, physiology, ecology, taxonomy, evolution, genetics, and reproduction. Anatomical studies are also used in taxonomy and systematics to assist with species identification by placing the anomalous groups in the right taxonomic levels and show the patterns of relationships been observed in superficial convergence in morphological studies (Nwachukwu et al. 2016). Information about the anatomy of Indigoferas is still uncommon worldwide (Lievens 1992; Nwachukwu and Mbagwu 2006; Nwachukwu and Mbagwu 2007; Tamilselvi et al. 2011; Paulino et al. 2011; Ghosh et al. 2016; Nwachukwu et al. 2017). There are no significant studies