Pollen Morphology of Some Taxa of Elymus L. Genus in Triticeae (Gramineae) Tribe

The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. There are about 600 genera and between 9,000-10,000 species of grasses. It is estimated that grasslands comprise 20% of the vegetation cover of the earth. This family is the most important of all plant families to human economies, including lawn and forage grasses, the staple food grains grown around the world, and bamboo, widely used for construction throughout Asia.In our country, 142 genera, 520 species, 19 subspecies and 52 varieties are represented. In this study, ongoing between 2005-2008 105T171 number and "Revision of Triticeae Dumort. (Gramineae) Tribe in Turkey" within the scope of TUBITAK project, The pollen morphology of 5 Elymustaxa was examined in detail by IM and SEM. Pollen samples of 5(E. tauri(Boiss. &Bal.) Melderis, E. nodosus(Nevski) Melderis ssp. sinuatus (Nevski) Melderis, E. erosiglumisMelderis, E. elongatus(Host) Runemark ssp. Elongatus,E. pycnanthus(Godron) Melderis.) Elymustaxa used in this study were gathered from their natural habitats in Turkey. For light microscope (LM) investigations, pollen grains were taken from the herbarium materials and prepared according to the methods of Wodehouse (1935) and Erdtman (1960). SEM studies were conducted by direct mounting of seed samples on stubsattached with sticky tape. The specimens were coated in a sputter coater with Gold-Palladium using Polaron SC502 trade gold coater. The specimens were then studied and photographed by a Jeol JSM-6060.5taxa of 19taxa found in this gynecologic country were examined palynologically. Pollen is prolate-spheroidal and subprolate. Pollen is heteropolar symmetry. Por is prolate-spheroidal or subprolate. Annulus is quite distinctive in SEM photographs, its inner and outer edges are pointed structure. The operculum is oval and polygonal. Tectum usually scabrate. On the basis of exine ornamentation family has been divided into 2pollen types. Poaceae is a stenopalynous family. The pollen grains are generally apolar, monoporate–diporate rarely triporate.Tectum is generally areolate, areolate cum scabrate, or simply scabrate. Similar type of tectum are also observed in the other members of the family Poaceae by Faegri & Iversen (1964) and Andersen & Bertelsen (1972). According to Thanikaimoni (1985), Poaceae pollen were evolved from monosulcate-monoporate to operculate. Skvarla et al., (2003) reported non-annulated pollen in the genus Parian. Baser et al., (2009) reported monoporate, heteropolar, prolate-spheroidal and operculate-annulate pollen, with mixed scabrate type exine and insular type in The result indicate that the Elymushas stenopalynous pollen grains thus the value of pollen characters for taxonomic implications is limited. Faegri & Iversen and Perveen alson mentioned about the uniformity of grass pollen causes one of the greatest difficulties in pollen analysis.The authors would like to thank to Central Laboratory personel of Middle East Technical University for their assistance in coating the pollen samples and taking their photographs during the SEM studies. We also wish to thank to the Scientific and TechnicalResearch Council of Turkey( TUBITAK-TBAG-105T171) for their financial asistance