SEM‐studies and general comments on pollen in tribe Mutisieae (Compositae) sensu Cabrera

Abstract

Data based on SEM‐studies of about 70 genera in tribe Mutisieae (Compositae) sensu Cabrera plus a few other relevant genera are presented with a discussion of some pollen‐morphologic characters (exomorphology and TEM‐patterns). The phyloge‐netically important aspects are shown to relate to the shape of the pollen grains, the presence or absence of polar elevations, and to the TEM‐patterns. The circumscription of tribe Mutisieae s.str. (i.e. excl. subtribe Barnadesiinae) is briefly considered, although palynological data are of little help for this purpose.