Pollen morphology of Rosa gallica L. (Rosaceae) from Southern Poland

Abstract

The morphology of pollen grains of <em>Rosa gallica</em> was studied on the basis of material from 15 natural localities in southern Poland. It was ascertained that the diagnostic features of pollen grains of <em>R. gallica</em> were: the presence of deep, often Y-shaped striae in a linear arrangement; numerous perforations of various, rather big diameters on the bottom of striae; the occurrence of operculum on the membrane of ectocolpus; the presence of costae ectocolpi and fastigium in the area of endopori. The most significant differences among the particular samples studied concern the shape of grains. The differences between pollen grains of 15 individuals of <em>Rosa gallica</em> from southern Poland are generally slight. The most discriminating measured character is length of equatorial axis of pollen grain and length of ectocolpi and thickness of exine along polar axis. The remaining differentiate the individuals with smaller significance. The differences between Silesian samples and all the other examined ones may result from origin of different Pleistocene refugia.