Abstract

A total of 6 species of Prunus were studied for the morphological characterization of the pollens through the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The species were collected from various parts of Northern Pakistan. The species included Prunus armeniaca L., Prunus bokhariensis Royle ex C.K. Schn, Prunus avium L., Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, Prunus domestica L. and Prunus cornuta (Wall. ex. Royle) Steudel. In the SEM of the pollens, variations were found in the shape and exine sculpturing. The pollen class ranged from trizonocolpate to obtus-triangular, and the exine sculpturing varies from striate-scabrate-reticulate. The pollen shape varied from triangular-acute-convex to triangular-obtuse-convex to circular in polar view and elliptic-acuminate-acute to elliptic-acuminate-obtuse in the equatorial view. All these variations were very useful in the identification of the species with respect to their pollen shape and class.

Key words: Palynology, scanning electron microscopy, Prunus species, Northern Pakistan.