POLLEN MORPHOLOGY OF ONOSMA L. (BORAGINACEAE) TAXA DISTRIBUTED IN NE ANATOLIA

Pollen morphology of seven endemic Onosma L. taxa (Boraginaceae) from Turkey was investigated by using light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As a result of LM and SEM observations, it was found that the pollen types are generally syncolporate, anisopolar, and circular in polar view and the thickness of pertectate exine is 0.93-1.15 μm. Exine ornamentation was found as generally granulate-perforate, psilate, verrucate in polar area, mostly granulate and verrucate in equatorial area. While pollen shape is prolate-spheroid in O. circinnatum H. Riedl, subprolate in the rest of the examined taxa. The results also indicated that pollen characters are effective in separating the examined taxa.