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Pollen morphology of some Brazilian Xyris Gronov. ex L. (Xyridaceae) species

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Abstract

Although the pollen morphology of Xyridaceae shows standard patterns that distinguish five genera, specific data of each genus are scarce or incompletely known. The pollen morphology of 17 Brazilian species of Xyris (Nematopus Section) based upon 47 specimens from Goiás and Minas Gerais States, Brazil, is presented. Micrographs of pollen grain structures were obtained using light and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains are characterized as monads, medium to large sized, ellipsoidal in polar view, flattened/convex in equatorial view and monosulcates. The sulci are pontoperculate and covered with an insulae type membrane. The sexine presents either a microreticulum or rugulae with perforations, and is thicker than the nexine. Although Xyris is a stenopalynous genus, characterized by monosulcate pollen grains, two groups of species were recognized based upon pollen size as well as pollen wall ornamentation features. Therefore, pollen data are of taxonomic value and useful to clarify the delimitation of the studied species.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the curators of the herbaria who provided exsiccates (see specimens investigated). Financial support was obtained from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). We also extend our thanks to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the fellowship of “Productivity in research” to the first and fifth authors and for the scholarship (PIBIC) to the second author. We are grateful to Luciana Benatti of the Instituto de Botânica for the scanning electron micrographs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Núcleo de Pesquisa em Palinologia, Instituto de Botânica, Av. Miguel Stéfano, 3687, São Paulo, SP, 04301-012, Brazil

    Cynthia Fernandes Pinto da Luz & Valéria Leobina dos Santos

  2. Núcleo de Pesquisa Curadoria do Herbário, Instituto de Botânica, São Paulo, Brazil

    Juliana Santos Guedes, Gisele de Oliveira Silva-Cobra & Maria das Graças Lapa Wanderley

Authors
  1. Cynthia Fernandes Pinto da Luz
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  2. Valéria Leobina dos Santos
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  3. Juliana Santos Guedes
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  4. Gisele de Oliveira Silva-Cobra
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  5. Maria das Graças Lapa Wanderley
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Correspondence to Cynthia Fernandes Pinto da Luz.

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da Luz, C.F.P., dos Santos, V.L., Guedes, J.S. et al. Pollen morphology of some Brazilian Xyris Gronov. ex L. (Xyridaceae) species. Braz. J. Bot 38, 937–950 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-015-0192-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-015-0192-4

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