Pollen morphology of Lathyrus (Leguminosae) taxa belonging to Lathyrus, Orobastrum and Cicercula sections from Turkey

Abstract

The pollen morphology of 20 wild taxa belonging to Lathyrus (Syn: Eulathyrus), Orobastrum (Taub.) Boiss. and Cicercula (Medic.) Gren. & Godr. sections of Lathyrus L. grown in Turkey (L. rotundifolius Wild. subsp. miniatus (Bieb. ex Steven) P.H. Davis, L. grandiflorus Sibth. & Sm., L. saxatilis (Vent.) Vis., L. vinealis Boiss. & Noë, L. inconspicuus L. var. inconspicuus, L. inconspicuus var. stenophyllus (Boiss.) Rech. f., L. tauricola P.H. Davis, L. woronowii Bornm., L. hierosolymitanus Boiss., L. cassius Boiss., L. gorgoni Parl. var. gorgoni, L. pseudo-cicera Pamp., L. sativus L., L. blepharicarpus Boiss., L. stenophyllus Boiss. & Heldr., L. belinensis Maxted & Goyder, L. phaselitanus Hub.-Mor. & P.H.Davis, L. chrysanthus Boiss., L. chloranthus Boiss., and L. trachycarpus (Boiss.) Boiss were examined by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in this study. The pollen grains were 3-zonocolporate, spheroidal, subprolate, and prolate (P/E = 0.99–1.48) types, and were medium in size (equatorial view: rectangular or elliptical-obtuse-convex; polar view: circular, triangular and quinquangular-obtuse-convex). The smallest pollen grains belonged to L. tauricola (P = 30.94/E = 31.20) and the largest to L. grandiflorus (P = 50.60/E = 36.40). The ornamentation was reticulate and reticulate-granulate in the mesocolpium, and usually psilate in the apocolpium. Some photographs included in this work were taken using both LM and SEM.