Abstract
Pollen morphology of the genus Skimmia was studied. Of six species of the genus, five species were investigated by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains of Skimmia had striate to striate-reticulate sculpture and variable aperture number (3–7), and these characters differed from even the phylogenetically closest relatives such as Dictamnus and Casimiroa which have 3-colporate pollen grains with reticulate exine. In Skimmia laureola, pollen dimorphism is suggested in the aperture number in accordance with the floral system. Pollen grains of Skimmia japonica, a morphologically very variable species, were extensively surveyed covering its whole distribution area. The grains were also striate to striate-reticulate, and the exine sculpture was not different between varieties. However, the aperture number of S. japonica showed a geographical variation ranging from 4 to 6; in Sakhalin, Hokkaido, most part of Honshu and Taiwan, grains with 4–5 apertures were dominant, while in the southern part of Japan, including the Ryukyu Islands and the Izu Islands, those with 5–6 apertures were common.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arreguín-Sánchez ML, Palacios-Chávez R, Quiroz-García DL, Ramos-Zamora D (1986) Morfologia de los granos de polen del gerero Casimiroa (Rutaceae) del valle de Mexico. 4. Phytologia 60:391–394
Barth OM (1983) Pollen morphology of Brazilian Rutaceae: Dictyoloma and Hortia. Pollen Spores 25:409–419
Barth OM (1985) Pollen morphology of Brazilian Rutaceae: Pilocarpus. Pollen Spores 27:145–154
Bolick MR (1981) Mechanics as an aid to interpreting pollen structure and function. Rev Palaeobot Palynol 35:61–79
Bredenkamp CL, Van Wyk AE (1996) Palynology of the genus Passerina (Thymelaeaceae): relationships form and function. Grana 35:335–346
Chang CE (1977) 11. Skimmia Thunb. In: Li HL, Liu TS, Huang TC, Koyama T, DeVol CE (eds) Flora of Taiwan. III. Epoch Publishing, Taipei, pp 525–529
Chase MW, Morton CM, Kallunki JA (1999) Phylogenetic relationship of Rutaceae: a cladistic analysis of the subfamilies using evidence from rbcL and atpB sequence variation. Am J Bot 86:1191–1199
Chen SH (1986) Pollen morphology of Formosan cultivated plants I. Fruit plants. J Taiwan Mus 39:43–60
Díaz Lifante Z (1996) Inter- and intraspecific variation in pollen size in Asphodelus section Asphodelus (Asphodelaceae). Grana 35:97–103
El Naggar SM, Abdel-Hafez SII (2003) Leaf surface, pollen morphology, fungal biodiversity and leaf spots of some wild plants in Sinai, Egypt. Feddes Repert 114:74–90
Engler A (1931) Rutaceae. In: Engler A, Prantl K (eds) Die Naturlichen pflanzenfamilien. Band 19a. Angiospermae. Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, pp 187–312
Erdtman G (1952) Rutaceae. Pollen morphology and plant taxonomy. An introduction to palynology. Almqvist & Wiksell, Stockholm
Fukuda T, Naiki A, Nagamasu H (2007) Karyotypic analysis of Skimmia japonica (Rutaceae) and related species. J Plant Res 120:113–121
Gadek PA, Fernando ES, Quinn CJ, Hoot SB, Terrazas T, Cheahan MC, Chase MW (1996) Sapindales: molecular delimitation and infraordinal groups. Am J Bot 83:802–811
Grant M, Blackmore S, Morton C (2000) Pollen morphology of the subfamily Aurantioideae (Rutaceae). Grana 39:8–20
Guerra MS (1984) New chromosome numbers in Rutaceae. Pl Syst Evol 146:13–30
Hartley TG (2000) On the taxonomy and biogeography of Euodia and Melicope (Rutaceae). Allertonia 8:1–319
Hatusima S (1971) Flora of the Ryukyus (including Amami Islands, Okinawa Islands and Sakishima Archipelago). Biological education society of Okinawa (in Japanese)
Huang TC (1968) Pollen grains of Formosan plants (4). Taiwania 14:133, 248–249
Huang TC (1972) Pollen Flora of Taiwan. Botany Department, National Taiwan University
Hutchinson J (1973) The families of flowering plants, 3rd edn. Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp 436–439
Ikuse M (1956) Pollen grains of Japan. Hirokawa shoten, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Johnson MAT, Taylor NP (1989) Chromosome counts in the genus Skimmia (Rutaceae). Kew Bull 44:503–514
Keenan J (1969) Notes on Buddleia II: Pollen. Notes R Bot Gard Edinburgh 29:199–202
Kitamura S (1971) Skimmia Thunberg. In: Kitamura S, Murata G (eds) Coloured Illustrations of Woody Plants of Japan, vol I. Hoikusha Publishing, Osaka, pp 314–315 (in Japanese)
Kurosawa K (1991) SEM photomicrographs of pollen of angiosperms. Spec Publ Osaka Mus Nat Hist 23, Osaka
Lewis WH (1980) Polyploidy in species populations. In: Lewis WH (ed) Polyploidy: biological relevance. Plenum, New York, pp 103–144
Morton CM, Kallunki JA (1993) Pollen morphology of the subtribe Cuspariinae (Rutaceae). Brittonia 45:286–314
Muller J (1979) Form and function in angiosperm pollen. Ann M Bot Gard 66:593–632
Mziray W (1992) Taxonomic studies in Toddalieae Hook. f. (Rutaceae) in Africa. Acta Univ Ups 30:26–33
Nair PKK (1965) Pollen grains of Western Himalayan plants. Asia Publishing House, Bombay
Ohba H (1999) Skimmia Thunb. In: Iwatsuki K, Boufford DE, Ohba H (eds) Flora of Japan. IIc. Kodansha, Tokyo, pp 41–42
Ohwi J (1953) Flora of Japan. Shibundo, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Perveen A, Qaiser M (2005) Pollen flora of Pakistan—XLV. Rutaceae. Pakistan J Bot 37:495–501
Punt W, Blackmore S, Nilsson S, Le Thomas A (1994) Glossary of Pollen and Spore terminology. LPP foundation.-III, Utrecht
Sato Y (1971) Pollen morphology of Skimmia Japonica Thunb. Sci Rep Tohoku Univ Ser. IV(Biol.) 35:207–211
Shimakura M (1973) Palynomorphs of Japanese plants. Spec Publ Osaka Mus Nat Hist 5, Osaka
Stace HM, Armstrong JA, James SH (1993) Cytoevolutionary patterns in Rutaceae. Pl Syst Evol 187:1–28
Stanley RG, Linskens HF (1974) Pollen: biology, biochemistry, management. Springer, Berlin
Taylor NP (1987) A revision of the genus Skimmia (Rutaceae). Kew Mag 4:168–194
Thanikaimoni G (1986) Pollen apertures: form and function. In: Blackmore S, Ferguson IK (eds) Pollen and spores : form and function. Academic press, London, pp 119–136
Victor JE, Van Wyk AE (1998) Palynology of Acmadenia (Diosminae: Rutaceae) and its taxonomic implications. Grana 37:143–154
Victor JE, Van Wyk AE (1999a) Pollen morphology of Adenandra (Rutaceae: Diosminae) and its taxonomic implications. Grana 38:1–11
Victor JE, Van Wyk AE (1999b) Pollen morphology of Diosma and Coleonema (Rutaceae: Diosminae) and its taxonomic implications. Grana 38:12–19
Victor JE, Van Wyk AE (2000) Pollen morphology of Phyllosma and Sheilanthera (Diosminae: Rutaceae) and its taxonomic implications. Grana 39:103–107
Victor JE, Van Wyk AE (2001) Pollen morphology of Euchaetis and Macrostylis (Diosminae-Rutaceae) and its taxonomic implications. Grana 40:105–110
Walker EH (1976) Flora of Okinawa and the Southern Ryukyu Islands. Smithonian Institution Press, Washington DC
Wang YF, Chen SH (2002) Pollen flora of Yuenyang Lake Nature Preserve, Taiwan (IV). Taiwania 47:129–158
Yamazaki T (1989) Skimmia Thunb. In: Satake Y, Hara H, Watari S, Tominari T (eds) Wild flowers of Japan woody plants I.. Heibonsha, Tokyo, p 281 (in Japanese)
Yamazaki T (1993) On the genus Skimmia in Japan and Taiwan. J Jap Bot 68:302–305
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Dr. Mitsuo Suzuki and Dr. Koji Yonekura of TUS, Akiko Shimizu of TI and to the curators of TAIF for their kind permission to study the specimens.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
10265_2008_174_MOESM1_ESM.doc
S1. Taxa, localities and vouchers used for pollen observation by LM of five species of the genus Skimmia and Dictamnus albus (DOC 120 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fukuda, T., Naiki, A. & Nagamasu, H. Pollen morphology of the genus Skimmia (Rutaceae) and its taxonomic implications. J Plant Res 121, 463–471 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-008-0174-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-008-0174-8