Abstract
This study investigates the pollen morphology of 134 Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat cultivars through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Chrysanthemum, a globally significant cut-flower crop, is renowned for its ornamental and medicinal properties. Morphology of a pollen grain, a microscopic flower structure known for being reproductive unit of higher plants was put forth for Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis that revealed diverse Chrysanthemum pollen traits, including shape, size, spine length, spine rows between colpi, ornamentation, and aperture type. Comparative analysis with 14 genera from daisy family, the PalDat database further explains uniqueness of Chrysanthemum in Asteraceae. Statistical analyses, employing cluster and principal component analyses, classify Chrysanthemum cultivars based on their pollen morphological characters. Significant cultivars exhibit distinct outgroups, suggestive of geographic and environmental impacts on evolution. The study suggests the significance of pollen characters, such as length, form index, and equatorial diameter in taxonomy and classification. This study contributes considerations into Chrysanthemum pollen morphology, enhancing knowledge of intrageneric relationships. The conclusions feature the importance of SEM techniques in identifying species based on palynomorphological traits. Future research, encompassing morphological, karyological, and molecular aspects, is recommended for a complete taxonomy of the Chrysanthemum genus.