POLLEN MORPHOLOGY OF SELECTED EUROPEAN SPECIES OF THE GENUS Allium L. (ALLIACEAE)

The pollen morphology of eight species from three subgenera and five sections of the genus Allium L. was studied by LM and SEM (i.e.: A. angulosum, A. carinatum, A. senescens subsp. montanum, A. oleraceum, A. scorodoprasum, A. ursinum, A. victorialis and A. vineale). The material came from natural sites of these species located in Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy. For measurements a sample consisted of 30 pollen grains. In total, 240 pollen grains were analysed. They were analysed in respect to six quantitative features (i.e.: length of long axis - LA, length of short axis SA, thickness of exine along long axis - Ex, SA/LA and Ex/LA ratios and length of sulcus) and the following qualitative ones: pollen outline and shape, exine ornamentation. Taxonomic value of these pollen features is considerable, especially on the sections level. On the basis of these features, it is impossible to distinguish individual Allium species but only their groups. The examined features were characterized by moderate (LA, SA and SA/LA) or high variability (Ex, Ex/LA). Among studied species the lowest variability was found in A. victorialis and the highest in A. vineale and A. oleraceum.