MORFOLOGÍA DE LOS GRANOS DE POLEN DE LA FAMILIA CUCURBITACEAE DEL ESTADO DEQUERÉTARO, MÉXICO*

Abstract

The pollen of 11 genera and 13 species of
Cucurbitaceae from the state of Queretaro
is described and illustrated. The taxa included are: Apodanthera aspera Cogn.,
Cucumis melo L., Cucurbita foetidissima
HBK., Echinopepon coulteri (A.
Gray)Rose, E. gemellus (DC.)A.K. Monro
& Staff., E. racemosus (Steud.)C. Jeffrey,
Ibervillea lindheimeri (A. Gray) Greene,
Microsechium helleri (Peyr.)Cogn.,
Momordica charantia L., Schizocarpum
reflexum Rose, Sechiopsis triquetra Naud.,
Sechium composita (Donn. Sm.)Standl. &
Steyermark y Sicyos parviflorus Willd. Ob
servations of pollen grains were carried out
under light microscopy (LM) and scanning
electron microscopy (SEM).
In the family Cucurbitaceae pollen grains are
variable in size, shape and exine characteristics. Six pollen types can be distinguished
based on the apertures: triporate,
pantoporate, tricolporoidate, tricolporate,
zonocolpate and pantorugate. Ornamentation
can be echinate orreticulate. Pollenmorphology has considerable taxonomic value in
defining genera and sometimes species