Authors: S P Hong I C Oh L P Ronse De Craene
Publish Date: 2005/06/27
Volume: 254, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 13-30
Abstract
The pollen of 30 taxa 27 species one subspecies and two varieties in two genera viz Polygonum s str and Polygonella was investigated with LM and SEM and some selected taxa with TEM In all genera investigated the pollen is prolate to spheroidal and the aperture is mostly tricolporate rarely pantohexacolporate especially Polygonum section Polygonum The exine sculpturing pattern is the most variable feature Three types of exine can be recognized Type 1 AviculariaType sensu Hedberg All species of section Polygonum and section Tephis share the smooth tectate exine with spinules sometimes the surface is more or less rough Polygonum afromontanum in section Tephis Type 2 PseudomolliaType sensu Hong Pollen of Polygonum molliaeforme section Pseudomollia has the exine which is verrucose on both poles and nearby the mesocolpium and mostly psilate around the ectoaperture Type 3 DuraviaType sensu Hedberg Pollen grains of Polygonum section Duravia and Polygonella have the exine which is semitectatereticulate at the mesocolpium and the poles and rugulate/reticulate or sometimes foveolate with microspinules around the ectoapertures The pollen grains in four taxa viz Polygonum section Pseudomollia P section Duravia and genus Polygonella have a wellmarked dimorphism of the ektexine which is considered to be a synapomorphic condition The differences of pollen grain between the genus Polygonella and Polygonum section Duravia are almost non existent and clearly interrelated It is therefore postulated that the similarity in pollen of both taxa is not the result of convergency but is interpreted as a homology It is noteworthy that the pollen of Polygonum molliaeforme section Pseudomollia appears as intermediate between the Aviculariatype and the Duraviatype and is well supported the value of separated section for its own Additionally in TEM some exine ultrastructures eg columellae foot layer endexine appear to be valuable characters for comparison between/among taxa The systematic potentialities of the pollen data of the studied taxa at various systematic levels are also discussed
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