Pollen morphology of some species of the genus Sansevieria petagna (Asparagaceae)

Pollen grains of 15 species of the genus Sansevieria were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains were single, but dyads were also found. The basic shape of the pollen grains (with chemical treatment) was subprolate, prolate and prolate-spheroidal and the pollen grains were large (> 50 mm). The pollen grains observed in SEM were prolate-spheroidal, subprolate, prolate and perprolate. The aperture occupied nearly the entire distal hemisphere. The surface of non-apertural areas was microreticulate, psilate–perforate, fossulate and verrucate. The surface of the apertural area was psilate-perforate-verrucate, microreticulate-verrucategemmate and psilate-perforate. The tectum was homogeneous, with perforations. Our results suggest that some species cannot be separated based on pollen grain morphology, but only may be categorized into their groups. The present study investigated pollen grain morphology in eleven species for the first time in terms of pollen micromorphology and provided some important new data.