Pollen morphology of some taxa of Vicia L. subgenus Vicilla (Schur) Rouy (Fabaceae) from Turkey

Abstract

The pollen morphology of the ten taxa belonging to Cassubicae Radzhi, Cracca Dumort., Ervilia (Link) Koch, Lentopsis Kupicha, Trigonellopsis Rech. f. and Variegatae Radzhi sections of the genus Vicia L. subgenus Vicilla (Schur) Rouy (Fabeae, Fabaceae) in Turkey has been examined by use of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Twelve morphometric characters are analysed with one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s honestly significant difference test for multiple comparisons. Polar axis and equatorial diameter of pollen grains range from 24.64 to 44.19 and from 15.90 to 30.42 μm, respectively. The pollen grains are prolate–spheroidal to perprolate (P/E = 1.09–2.07), but the prolate shape occurs in the majority of the taxa. The regular pollen grains of all taxa are trizonocolporate, isopolar, and released in monads. Ornamentation of the mesocolpium is psilate–perforate in V. tenuifolia subsp. dalmatica and V. tenuifolia subsp. tenuifolia (sect. Cracca), reticulate–rugulate in V. villosa subsp. villosa (sect. Cracca), and reticulate–perforate in the remaining taxa. The apocolpium and colpus area are reticulate–perforate in V. hirsuta (sect. Cracca), V. ervilia (sect. Ervilia) and V. lunata subsp. grandiflora (sect. Trigonellopsis), and psilate, psilate–slightly perforate or perforate in the other taxa. The results obtained from analyses of pollen grains from the studied taxa of the subgenus Vicilla reveal significant differences in general morphology and some morphometric attributes, and ornamentation types. However, it is concluded that pollen morphology has proved to be uninformative for differentiating the subgenera Vicilla and Vicia.