Pollen morphology of Menispermaceae in the state of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

There have been few palynological studies of the family Menispermaceae. Here, we analyzed the pollen grains of 12 species from seven genera of Menispermaceae occurring in the state of Bahia, Brazil: Abuta selloana Eichl.; Boris-mene japurensis (Mart.) Eichl.; Chondrodendron microphyllum (Eichl.) Moldenke; C. platyphyllum (A.St.-Hil.) Miers; Cissampelos andromorpha DC.; C. ovalifolia DC.; C. pareira L.; C. sympodialis Eichl.; Hyperbaena domingensis (DC.) Benth.; Odontocarya duckei Barneby; Sciadotenia campestris Barneby; and S. pubistaminea (K. Schum.) Diels. The pollen grains were acetolysed, measured, described, and illustrated using light and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains were found to be small, oblate spheroidal or prolate spheroidal, isopolar, and tricolpate or tricolporate; the exine was found to be reticulate. It was concluded that the various genera can be separated based on pollen characters. Within each of the genera, the species studied were stenopalynous. For five Menispermaceae species, pollen descriptions are presented here for the first time.