Diversity Assessment in Some Cassia Species Based on Pollen Morphological Characters from Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

The inert nature of pollen characters towards strong selective forces favored its utility as a taxonomic tool. The present work assessed the diversity among the selected species of Cassia using pollen morphological characters. Pollen morphology of ten Cassia species was studied by Scanning Electron Microscope and Light. A total of 23 pollen morphological characters were observed. All the species showed distinct variations in terms of shape, size, aperture, and exine ornamentation characters. In all ten Cassia species, a major similarity in aperture type was observed having tricolporate to trizonocoplorate. Size ranges between 23-40 µm, while, shapes were oblate, spheroidal-prolate, spheroidal. Psilate or psilate perforate, reticulate, or microreticulate tectum was noted in SEM observation