Pollen morphology of some Gypsophila L. (Caryophyllaceae) species and its taxonomic value

Palynomorphological study of Dianthus petraeus waldst. et kit. (Caryophyllaceae)

“…Except for the prevailing spheroidal grains of species classified in Silene indica-type and Stellaria media-type (including Dianthus species), Perveen and Qaiser (2006) found also prolate-spheroidal (Spergula arvensis, S. marina, S. media, Polycarpaea corymbosa, P. spicata), sub-prolate (Spergula fallax) to rarely prolate grains (Telephium imperati). Although different species were investigated, Al Eisawi (1989) agreed that the shape is mostly spheroidal and rarely prolate or polyhedral with hexagonal to octagonal outline, while Ataşlar et al (2009), reported that grains may be suboblate to subprolate (if 3-colpate) and spherical or rounded polyhedral (if porate or pantocolpate).…”

“…Apart from a few exceptions (Petrorhagia alpina, Agrostemma githago), previous studies have demonstrated that Caryophyllaceae pollen is usually of medium size, ranging from 25 to 50 (65) μm in diameter (Yildiz, 2001a, b;Perveen and Qaiser 2006;Ataşlar et al, 2009;Yildiz et al, 2010;Poyraz and Ataşlar, 2010). Ataşlar et al, (2009) specified that grains range from 24 to 65 µm in diameter if pantocolpate and pantoporate, and from 12.5 x 8 µm to 28 x 23 µm if tricolpate or triporate. By comparing the pollen size of ten Dianthus taxa growing in Turkey, Yildiz (2001b) reported the smallest grain in Dianthus leptopetalus (34.69±2.59 µm), and the largest one in Dianthus crinitus var.…”

“…He found that the trizonocolpate type occurs more frequently within the subfamily Paronychioideae and sometimes in Alsinoideae, but never in Silenoideae. On the other hand, pantoporate grains are rare in Paronychioidae (characterized by pancolpate type occurring in tribe Sperguleae), but are common in Alsinoideae (12-40 pores) and Caryophylloidae (15-38 pores) (Ataşlar et al, 2009). Perveen and Qaiser (2006), recognized three pollen types based on apertural description, including tectum characteristics as follows: 3(4-10)-colpate (Spergula arvensis-type), pantoporate with spinulose and tubuliferous/punctate ektexine (Stellaria media-type) and porate with reticulate ektexine (Silene indica-type), whereby all six analyzed Dianthus species (D. anatolicus, D. crinitus, D. orientalis, D. angulatus, D. cachmericus, D. jacquemontii) belong to the second type.…”

“…Besides morphological studies on which Caryophyllaceae systematics and classification are based, many palynological studies aimed to clarify the taxonomic position of the genera within the family, as well as to support or to disprove grouping or separation of taxa within the subfamilies of Caryophyllaceae (Bittrich, 1993). There are a large number of studies devoted to pollen morphology of the family Caryo-phyllaceae (Ghazanfar, 1984;Yildiz, 1996aYildiz, ,b, 2001aAtaşlar et al, 2009). Some of the earliest palynological studies of this family were carried out by Faegri and Iversen (1950), Erdtman (1952) and Erdtman et al (1961).…”

“…Some of the earliest palynological studies of this family were carried out by Faegri and Iversen (1950), Erdtman (1952) and Erdtman et al (1961). Extensive palynomorphological investigations of some Caryophyllaceae taxa were performed in Scandinavian countries (Chanda, 1962), Ukraine (Romanova, 1992;Romanova and Bezusko, 1987), Egypt (Taia, 1994) and in Turkey (Yildiz, 2001a, b;2005;Kaplan, 2008;Ataşlar et al, 2009). The most comprehensive and detailed comparative morphological research on Caryophyllaceae pollen focusing on the surface ultrastructure using both light and scanning electron microscopy, is that of Perveen and Qaiser (2006) on 74 Pakistani species belonging to 23 genera, followed by Al Eisawi (1989) on 32 Jordanian species belonging to 18 genera, and Punt and Hoen (1995) on northwestern European flora.…”