TITLE	Pollen morphology of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae) in Taiwan
AUTHOR	Gwo-Ing LIAO Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan Ming-Yih CHEN Department of Life Sciences, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan Chang-Sheng KUOH Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
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ABSTRACT	The pollen morphology of five taxa of Cuscuta, C. australis, C. campestris, C. chinensis, C. japonica var. formosana and C. japonica var. japonica (Convolvulaceae) in Taiwan was investigated by using LM, SEM and TEM. The pollen of Cuscuta is three to six colpate, zonocolpate or pantocolpate colpus with granules, tectum with scabrate processes, ektexine reticulate or finely reticulate, and endexine thinner than ektexine. Two distinct pollen types of Cuscuta spp. in Taiwan are recognized. Type 1 is small, and has colpus with granules, and ektexine finely reticulate, including C. australis, C. campestris and C. chinensis. Type 2 is medium in size, and has colpus with granules, scabrate processes on surface of granule and ektexine reticulate, including C. japonica var. formosana and C. japonica var. japonica. Pollen types correspond with Yuncker's subdivision of the genus Cuscuta, type 1 for subgenus Grammica and type 2 for subgenus Monogyna. Meanwhile, pollen characteristics are also helpful in identifying species.
KEYWORD	Cuscuta; Dodder; Pollen; Taiwan;
ARTICLE INFO	Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 46 Number 1 January 2005, page 75-81, 7 pages
PUBLISHER	Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China