Open Access

ARTICLE

Pollen morphology of Senecio bergii (Asteraceae), with special attention to the mesoaperture

by Montes B, MG Murray

1 Laboratorio de Plantas Vasculares. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
2 CONICET.
3 INBIOSUR (UNS-CONICET).

* Corresponding Author: Address Correspondence to: Dra. María Gabriela Murray, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2015, 84(1), 201-208. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2015.84.201

Abstract

Palynological studies contribute to understanding the taxonomy, phylogeny and ecology of the Asteraceae and other families. In this study, pollen morphology and ultrastructure of the exine of Senecio bergii Hieron. were studied using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The pollen of this species is prolate-spheroidal, it has a Senecioid pattern on the exine and an apertural system composed of three apertures (ecto-, meso- and endoapertures). This pollen type is defined as tricolpororate due to the triple apertural system. This is the first description of the ultrastructure of the apertural system of the pollen of Argentine species of Senecio. The presence of mesoapertures and the description of the ultrastructure of the pollen of Senecio bergii contribute to the general knowledge of the Senecio pollen type, as well as to the taxonomic delimitation of species in this genus.

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Keywords

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