Investigation on Pollen Morphology of Aconitum L.

Pollen morphology of 62 species in Aconitum L. was investigated with light and scanning electron microscopies. The pollen grains in this genus are 3-colpate and exhibit spinulate surface pattern in all the species. According to the shape of pollen grains in equatorial view Aconiturn L. may be divided into three types. Type Ⅰ pollen grains are wide elliptic; Type Ⅱ are narrow-elliptic and type Ⅲ are rectangular or close to square in shape. The pollen characteristics among species are very similar. The morphological information of the pollen grains shows that species of Aconiturn L. are a natural taxon.