POLLEN MORPHOLOGY OF LYCIUM (SOLANACEAE) SPECIES IN IRAN

Lycium (Solanaceae) has more than 100 species in arid and semi-arid parts of the world. In Iran, this medicinal plant is represented by 6 species, on which no palynological study has been conducted. Pollen morphology of 7 taxa are considered for the first time to evaluate the species relationships based on palynological data. Observations were made by use of Scanning electron microscopy on untreated pollen grains. Multivariate statistical analyses were carried out for qualitative and quantitative pollen features in the species studied. Results show that all pollen grains were monad, isopolar, zonotricolporate in prolate and preprolate shape. Exine sculpture was of striate and regulate patterns. Variations in pollen grains are considered to overcome the identification problems in species separation in morphologically similar taxa in this genus in Iran. The importance of pollen features in delimitation in some genera of Solanaceae was previously proven and the present study elucidates that some features as exine sculpture and some quantitative characters are of diagnostic importance in Lycium species native to Iran.