Resumen

SANABRIA, M.E; MACIEL, N; CUMANA, L.J.  y  DELGADO, R.E.. Pollen grain study in species of the Heliconia L. genus under optical microscope. Rev. Fac. Agron. [online]. 2007, vol.24, n.1, pp.22-23. ISSN 0378-7818.

Zingiberales Palynologic studies have been limited because of the walls fragility of its pollen grain. In order to accomplish these studies, methods applying for these structures treatment was proposed and such a way to get information about its characteristics. Samples consisted on five mature anthers from flowers of Heliconia bihai (L.) L.; H. psittacorum L.; H. latispatha Bentham, H. platystachys Baker and H. rostrata Ruiz & Pavón nature or cultivated at Sucre and Lara states, Venezuela, fixed before dehiscence in F.A.A. (75%) or in glacial acetic acid. Pollen grains were observed, photographed and measured under microscope Olympus BX40 at 50 and 100X augmentations. Form determination was made basing on 25 measurements of equatorial diameter (E) and polar diameter (P) of at random grains in meridian optical cut and P/E relationship was estimated and this result was compared with an established index table. Pollen grains of evaluated species were sub spheroid, asymmetric and with P/E values between 0.75 and 1.33 µm. Exine and intine are micro spinulous. There were not observed differences between the sizes of pollen grains of cultivated and wild species and the polinic pattern observed was similar in the studied species.

Palabras clave : Polen; Heliconiaceae; polen morphology.