Studies on the Pollen Morphology of the Genus Brassica (Cruciferae) in China
中国芸苔属植物花粉形态的研究

The present paper reports the pollen morphology of 36 species and varieties of Brassica L. in China mostly for the first time. They were examined both under LM and SEM. Pollen grains of Brassica L. in China are long-spheroidal, subspheroidal, spheriodal, oblate, rarely reniformis or subsquare. According to the aperture characters pollen grains may be divided into four types: 2,3,4-colpate, 3-colpate, 3,4-colpate, 3,4-colporate. The exine scul- pture may also be divided into three types: 1, reticulate, 2, cerebroid-reticulate, 3, foveolate- reticulate. Detailed characters of pollen grains for each taxon are presented in Table 1. The 2,3,4-colpate type of pollen grains may be considered as primitive one and the 3,4-colpate or 3,4-colporate type of pollen grains is the most advanced in Brassica. The tricolpate aperture and reticulate exine have been reported by the previous authors, whereas, 3,4-colporate and ce- rebroid-reticulate or foveolate-reticulate pollen grains are newly reported.