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Ultrastructure and Germination Percentage of Crocus biflorus Miller subsp. biflorus (Iridaceae) Pollen
Author(s) -
Caiola Maria Grilli,
Banas Malgorzata,
Canini Antonella
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
botanica acta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.871
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1438-8677
pISSN - 0932-8629
DOI - 10.1111/j.1438-8677.1993.tb00778.x
Subject(s) - crocus , pollen , crocus sativus , botany , iridaceae , anthesis , biology , ultrastructure , germination , nucleus , endoplasmic reticulum , microbiology and biotechnology , cultivar
Pollen of Crocus biflorus Miller subsp. biflorus from natural habitats of Tusculum (Frascati, near Rome, Italy) has been studied in order to compare its structure and physiology to pollen of other Crocus species belonging to the Crocus sativus group. Mature pollen grains are rounded, 60 μm in diameter, in‐aperturate (but with surface incisions where exine is lacking). DAPI staining reveals a spindle‐shaped generative nucleus which is intensely fluorescent, and vegetative nucleus which is less fluorescent, and is elongated with numerous lobes. At anthesis the pollen is bicellular, but about 2% of tricellular grains occur among the pollen grains released from the anthers as well as on both naturally or handpollinated stigmas. Pollen germination is low in vitro , but higher in vivo . The pollen tubes are of normal shape. An electron‐dense surface coat is sometimes visible on the exine, which in many cases, is detached from the exine. The vegetative cytoplasm is very rich in glycolipid bodies surrounded by endoplasmic reticulum. The generative cell has a lobed cell wall and is surrounded by the vegetative nucleus.