Helichrysum × kani-isikii (Asteraceae), a new nothospecies from Turkey

In this study, Helichrysum × kani-isikii (Asteraceae), a new natural hybrid of H. compactum and H. unicapitatum from Babadağ (Denizli, Turkey), is described and investigated in detail for the first time. The new nothospecies is similar to H. compactum and H. unicapitatum, but it has some intermediate morphological and palynological properties that position it between the two putative parents. In the diagnosis of the hybrid, pollen size and shape were found as significant characteristics. Taxonomic, morphological, and palynological characteristics of H. × kani-isikii are compared with those of its putative parents, and some other details are presented with notes on the IUCN category and ecology of the nothospecies. In addition, a key to diagnosing the hybrid from its parental taxa is also provided.

Microsporogenesis and pollen formation in Larch Sukachev (Larix Sukaczewii Djil.) on permanent forest seed plot in Semiluksky forestry

The formation of male and female generative buds in the Sukachev larch in the conditions of Voronezh in the second decade of August is considered. The behavior of chromosomes in the meta-, ana -, and telophase of the first and second divisions of meiosis is analyzed. In each phase, 150–200 microsporocytes were taken into account. According to the results of the conducted studies, it was revealed that the microsporogenesis of larch proceeded asynchronously. A significant proportion of the disorders are caused by chromosome lag and the formation of bridges, the formation of a hexad, and the release of chromosomes outside the division spindle. The viability of Sukachev larch pollen is estimated to be high. A small number of disturbances in the process of meiotic divisions and the formation of gametophytes did not lead to the formation of a significant amount of sterile pollen. The average pollen size varies between 82.18–86.4 microns. Pollen has a spherical shape

Pollen morphology and infrageneric classification of selected Callicarpa species (Lamiaceae) from the Philippines and Borneo

Danila JS, Alejandro GJD. 2020. Pollen morphology and infrageneric classification of selected Callicarpa species (Lamiaceae) from the Philippines and Borneo. Biodiversitas 21: 5736-5746. We used pollen grains of ten species representing the controversial genera Geunsia Blume and Callicarpa L. from the key centers of Malesia - Philippines, and Borneo including other countries in Asia. Herbarium specimens and collected samples from the field were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in search of new characters to establish conclusive evidence that might contribute to the study of the relationship between Geunsia and Callicarpa. Based on SEM observations, both the investigated pollen grains of Geunsia and Callicarpa are mostly small to medium, spheroidal or circular, prolate to oblate, isopolar, and tricolpate. Moreover, the exine surface is mostly coarsely reticulated with a thin perforated colpus edge and sunken finely granulated colpus membrane. However, exine ornamentation shows possible separation of Geunsia and Callicarpa due to various morphological results observed. Several types of exine ornamentation were found in species of the section Callicarpa, i.e., C. erioclona, C. arborea, C. macrophylla, and C. candicans which attributes in the projected separation of these species while four species in the section Geunsia are united as a group having coarsely reticulate exine. Surprisingly, C. arborea samples give additional support to the hypothesis that rugulate exine sculpture might be its plesiomorphic character due to evolutionary evidence of other exine types of this species. On the other hand, pollen size and shape class of the sections of Geunsia and Callicarpa were both observed with similar features having an average pollen size equivalent to medium and a prolate shape supporting the concept of previous studies to nest Geunsia within Callicarpa. This reveals that pollen morphology is useful in the study of infrageneric classification within these groups. However, further morphological studies involving larger number of specimens are needed especially in the study of exine to prove its consistency as diagnostic character in the study of phylogenetic relationship.

Fertility and Progeny Ploidy of Triploids in China Rosa Germplasm

Background Although triploid plants are often assumed to be sterile, in Rosa, triploids appear to have been important in both species evolution and breeding. A better understanding of the fertility of China Rosa triploids and their behavior when used in interploidy crosses will not only improve gene introgression from China triploid roses to modern roses, but also enhance our understanding of male and female fertility mechanism with triploids. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of five triploid China roses for breeding by measuring the pollen size, quantifying the fertility and following the ploidy transmission of interploidy crosses. Results In the five triploids, the pollen grain size of Rosa multiflora var. cathayensis Rehd ‘Fen Tuan Qiang Wei’ followed a normal distribution, suggesting that 1 mainly ploidy level pollen grain were produced, while the pollen size of other 4 triploids followed skewed, flattened, and slightly bimodal distributions, indicating a wide range of chromosome numbers. Although none of the 5 triploids produced hips as females, 3 gave good hip and seed production on the tetraploid mother plant when used as the pollen parents. Based on the ploidy level analysis of their progeny, ‘Fen Tuan Qiang Wei’ produced 1n viable pollen whereas ‘Chun Shui Lü Bo’ and ‘Yu Shi Zhuang’ produced 2n viable pollen. In the meiosis of triploids, the triads, pentads and microcyte in the meiosis products indicated the objective triploid production of euploid pollen grains. Conclusions In this study we reported 1 China triploid rose produces 1n viable pollen, and 2 China triploid roses produce 2n viable pollen, and no anueploid progeny was produced. Our results indicate that the triploids contribute significantly to tetraploids formation in the crossing system of Genus Rosa, and it is possible for breeders to create novel rose types with valuable triploids in the future. With the special triploid resources found in this experiment, Genus Rosa will be an excellent material to study the mechanism of triploids in the future.

Evolution of Angiosperm Pollen: 8. Lamiids

Lamiids, a clade composed of approximately 15% of all flowering plants, contains more than 50,000 species dispersed across 49 families and eight orders (APG IV, 2016). This paper is the eighth in a series that analyzes pollen characters across angiosperms. We reconstructed a maximum likelihood tree based on the most recent phylogenetic studies for the Lamiids, comprising 150 terminal genera (including six outgroups) and covering all eight orders and 49 families within the clade. To illustrate pollen diversity across the Lamiids, pollen grains from 22 species (22 genera in 14 families) were imaged under light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Eighteen pollen characters that were documented from previous publications, websites, and our new observations were coded and optimized onto the reconstructed phylogenetic tree using Fitch parsimony, maximum likelihood, and hierarchical Bayesian analysis. Pollen morphology of the Lamiids is highly diverse, particularly in shape class, pollen size, aperture number, endoaperture shape, supratectal element shape, and tectum sculpture. In addition, some genera show relatively high infrageneric pollen variation within the Lamiids: i.e., Coffea L., Jacquemontia Choisy, Justicia L., Pedicularis L., Psychotria L. nom. cons., Sesamum L., Stachytarpheta Vahl, and Veronica L. The plesiomorphic states for 16 pollen characters were inferred unambiguously, and 10 of them displayed consistent plesiomorphic states under all optimization methods. Seventy-one lineages at or above the family level are characterized by pollen character state transitions. We identified diagnostic character states for monophyletic clades and explored palynological evidence to shed light on unresolved relationships. For example, palynological evidence supports the monophyly of Garryales and Metteniusaceae, and sister relationships between Icacinaceae and Oncothecaceae, as well as between Vahliales and Solanales. The evolutionary patterns of pollen morphology found in this study reconfirm several previously postulated evolutionary trends, which include an increase in aperture number, a transition from equatorially arranged apertures to globally distributed ones, and an increase in exine ornamentation complexity. Furthermore, there is a significant correlation between pollen characters and a number of ecological factors, e.g., pollen size and pollination type, pollen ornamentation and pollination type, and shape class and plant growth form. Our results provide insight into the ecological, environmental, and evolutionary mechanisms driving pollen character state changes in the Lamiids.

Cytogenetic and pollen identification of genus Gagnepainia (Zingiberaceae) in Thailand

Gagnepainia godefroyi K. Schumann, 1904 and G. harmandii K. Schumann, 1904 belong to the genus Gagnepainia K. Schumann, 1904 of the Ginger family. They have the potential to be developed as medicinal and attractive ornamental plants. To date, the knowledge on the cytological and reproductive aspects of Gagnepainia have not been publicly available. Therefore, the aims of this research are to investigate the cytogenetic and pollen characters of Gagnepainia species using light, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopes. The regular meiotic figures of 15 bivalents are found in both species and presented for the first time. These evidences indicate that Gagnepainia is diploid and contains 2n = 2x = 30 with basic number of x = 15. The mean nuclear DNA contents range from 1.986 pg in Gagnepainia sp., 2.090 pg in G. godefroyi to 2.195 pg in G. harmandii. Pollens of all species are monad, inaperturate, prolate with bilateral symmetry, and thick wall with fossulate exine sculpturing. The pollen size of G. harmandii (74.506 ± 5.075 μm, 56.082 ± 6.459 μm) is significantly larger than that of G. godefroyi (59.968 ± 3.484 μm, 45.439 ± 2.870 μm). Both 2C DNA content and pollen size are the effective characteristics for species discrimination. The reproductive evidence of high meiotic stability and normal pollen production indicate that both Gagnepainia species have high fertility and seed productivity, which are in accordance with the broad distribution. The present study provides good cytogenetic and pollen characters not only for plant identification, but also plant fertility assessment through plant genetic resource management and improvement of Gagnepainia.

Effect of Colchicine treatment on the cariology and morphology signs of Polemonium caeruleum L.

The effect of colchicine treatment of P. caeruleum on morphological and economically valuable traits, pollen size and fertility, and karyotype of also was studied. Colchicine treatment increased in the size of pollen by 13 % compared to the control, pollen fertility decreased by 19 %. Stained chromosomes of the karyotype were identified, their sizes were determined for the first time, and karyotype formulas for diploid K = (5m + 2sm + 2st) and tetraploid forms K = 2 (10m + 4sm + 4st) were compiled. As a result of colchicine treatment, the plant height decreased by 35 %, the stem thickness by 47 %, the number of generative shoots 18 %, the leaf length 23 % and width increased 22 %, compared to the control. The productivity of raw by 32 % and seeds of tetraploid plants exceeds diploid plants by 22 %.This research was supported government as signment (No. 0576-2019-0008).

Pollen morphology of subfamily Maloideae (Roseaceae) with special focus on the genus Photinia

Pollen morphology of 27 species of Photinia sensu stricto and five closely related genera of subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae) were studied in detail. Palynomorphological characteristics were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Comparative pollen analysis was accomplished based on pollen size, shape, polar and equatorial views, polar and equatorial diameter ratio (P/E ratio), width of aperture, and exine ornamentation. The pollen grains of studied species were found to be monad, tricolporate, small to medium in size (P=17.42–30.45 μm, E=9.26–20.18 μm) and to have shapes oblate-spheroidal (0.88–1.0 μm), prolate-spheroidal (1.01–1.14 μm), sub-prolate (1.15–1.33 μm), prolate (1.34–2 μm), and perprolate (>2 μm). The exine ornamentation was perforated-striate, and two different types were identified. The result of quantitative characters has paltry taxonomic importance. The characters studied here delimit at generic level for some genera but not at species level. The obtained result was partially consistent with that of molecular studies published earlier. The pollen size and shape were found to be different between Asian and American species of Photinia. Especially exine sculpture was found to be an important feature to distinguish species of all genera studied. PCA analysis showed that the pollen shape, pollen sculpture, pollen size, and polarity are the key characters to distinguish the species of Photinia and the closely related genera in subfamily Maloideae. Based on pollen exine, two groups (Type I and Type II) were distinguished. The aim of the present study was to find out the taxonomic significance of palynomorphological characteristics in subfamily Maloideae (Rosaceae).