THE POLLEN MORPHOLOGY OF ODONTITES (SCROPHULARIACEAE) AND ITS TAXONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The pollen morphology of 29 species of Odontites and related genera was examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. Three major pollen types differing fundamentally in exine sculpturing were found. In the parasitic tribe Pedicularieae retipilate sculpturing is the most widespread type representing a plesiomorphic character state from which the two other types are derived. Of these, reticulate sculpturing is confined to Odontites, whereas a complex retirugulate pattern was found only in the monotypic Near East genus Bornmuellerantha. Within the retipilate and the reticulate major types eight minor types were distinguished based on the differential correlation of exine surface morphology, size, shape and amb form. The pollen data are generally well correlated with macromorphological features and furnish important taxonomic characters at the genus-as well as at the specieslevel. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.