Abstract
Pollen grain morphology of Bromeliaceae species collected in areas of the Atlantic Rainforest of southeastern Brazil was studied. The following species were analyzed: Aechmea bambusoides L.B.Sm. & Reitz, A. nudicaulis (L.) Griseb., A. ramosa Mart. ex Schult.f., Ananas bracteatus (Lindl.) Schult.f., Billbergia distachia (Vell.) Mez, B. euphemiae E. Morren, B. horrida Regel, B. zebrina (Herb.) Lindl., Portea petropolitana (Wawra) Mez, Pitcairnia flammea Lindl., Quesnelia indecora Mez, Tillandsia polystachia (L.) L., T. stricta Sol., T. gardneri Lindl., T. geminiflora Brongn. and Vriesea grandiflora Leme. Light and scanning electron microscopy were used and the species were grouped into three pollen types, organized according to aperture characteristics: Type I - pantoporate pollen grains observed in P. petropolitana, Type II - 2-porate pollen grains, observed in the genera Ananas, Aechmea and Quesnelia, and Type III - 1-colpate pollen grains, observed in the genera Billbergia, Pitcairnia, Tillandsia and Vriesea. Pollen data led to the construction of an identification key. The results showed that the species analyzed can be distinguished using mainly aperture features and exine ornamentation, and that these characteristics may assist in taxonomic studies of the family.
Highlights
Bromeliaceae Juss comprises nearly 3.172 species, distributed in 58 genera (Luther 2008)
Light and scanning electron microscopy were used and the species were grouped into three pollen types, organized according to aperture characteristics: Type I – pantoporate pollen grains observed in P. petropolitana, Type II – 2-porate pollen grains, observed in the genera Ananas, Aechmea and Quesnelia, and Type III – 1-colpate pollen grains, observed in the genera Billbergia, Pitcairnia, Tillandsia and Vriesea
In Aechmea, the largest and most morphologically diverse genus of Bromelioideae, the pollen grains embrace all types of aperture observed within the family (Faria et al 2004)
Summary
Bromeliaceae Juss comprises nearly 3.172 species, distributed in 58 genera (Luther 2008). The floral morphology is usually poorly preserved in herbarium collections, and it is poorly studied This limits the utilization of many characteristics that could potentially be diagnostic. Benzing (1994) and Schulte and Zizka (2008) mentioned the importance and the necessity of more studies focusing on the detailed analysis of underemployed characteristics, such as the morphological variation of stigmas and petal appendages, as well as the pollen morphology. In this context, pollen morphology has provided important information for the taxonomy of Bromeliaceae, aiding in a better definition of the generic and specific delimitation (Moreira et al 2005)
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