Pollen morphology in Sicydium(Cucurbitaceae, Zanonioideae)

Abstract

The pollen grains of seven species of the genus Sicydium Schlechtendal (Cucurbitaceae, Zanonioideae, Zanonieae, Sicydiinae) are described and illustrated using both light and scanning electron microscopes. The species included in the study were: S. araguense Steyermark et Trujillo, S. daviliae Lira, S. diffusum Cogn., S. gracile Cogn., S. schiedeanum Schlechtendal, S. tamnifolium (H.B.K.) Cogn., and S. tuerckheimii J. D. Smith. The analysis of the palynological information obtained showed that the shape and dimensions of the pollen grains, and the distance between colpi, are characters that could be a very useful complement for the identification of Sicydium species. © 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.