Pollen morphological studies on some members of the family Nyctaginaceae in India

The pollen morphology of twelve species belonging to five genera, i.e. Mirabilis L., Boerhavia L., Commicarpus Standl., Bougainvillea Comm. ex Juss. and Pisonia L. of the family Nyctaginaceae was studied by Light microscope and Scanning electron microscope. The family is eurypalynous, having pollen grains of varying shapes, sizes and aperture pattern. The pollen morphology of the taxa studied can be correlated with the varied habit of the members of the family