XVI International Botanical Congess

Pollen of 81 Detarioid genera (253 species) were studied in LM, SEM, and TEM. Pollen is generally prolate to spheroidal, 3-colporate, but varies greatly in size (P = 19-90 µ , E = 19-136 µ), and the variety in exine ornamentation is very diverse. Where exine ornamentation superficially looks similar different underlying ultrastructures have, however, been observed. Ultrastructural characteristics of systematic significance are: presence/absence of 1) supratectal structures, 2) footlayer, 3) mid columellar layer, 4) thickened endexine, and 5) thickened aperture margins. Systematic implications of evolutionary trends in exine and ultrastructure variety, and homology assessment of these will be discussed by superimposing pollen characters onto a preliminary phylogeny of the Detarieae based on molecular data.