Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pollen morphology of selected species of Cucurbitaceae Juss. from the Cerrado

  • Structural Botany - Original Article
  • Published:
Brazilian Journal of Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Pollen morphology of six native and two sub-spontaneous species of Cucurbitaceae found in the state of Goiás, Midwest Region of Brazil were analyzed to understand the palynology and taxonomy of the selected species. Pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, described, photographed and electromicrographed. SEM was used to analyze exine ornamentation. Pollen grains are monads in Cayaponia podantha Cogn., Ceratosanthes tomentosa Cogn., Luffa operculata (L.) Cogn., Melothria campestris (Naudin) H. Schaefer and S. S. Renner, Momordica charantia L., Wilbrandia hibiscoides Silva Manso or tetrads in Gurania lobata (L.) Pruski and Psiguria umbrosa (Kunth) C. Jeffrey; average size, large or very large in monads and tetrads. The openings ranged from pores in Cayaponia podantha, colpores in other monads and pores in tetrads. Regarding ornamentation, Cayaponia podantha has spiny sexine, Melothria campestris perforated sexine, Gurania lobata and Psiguria umbrosa micro-reticulated sexine, and other taxa have reticulated sexine. Cayaponia podantha and Psiguria umbrosa were first described in this study. Results allowed the distinction between genera, indicating that the pollen morphology contributes to the taxonomic studies and the family is considered eurypalynous. This study provides information that, with other previously published studies, will allow a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships between these species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Awasthi P (1961) Palynological investigations of Cucurbitaceae. Part II. Proc Natl Acad Sci, India, Sect A 28:485–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Barroso LJ (1946) Considerações sobre a família Cucurbitaceae. Ministério da Agricultura. 3º. Fascículo. Rio de Janeiro

  • Barth OM, Luz CFP, Gomes-Klein VL (2005) Pollen morphology of Brazilian species of Cayaponia Silva Manso (Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbiteae). Grana 44:129–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezerra AME, Momenté VG, Araújo EC, Medeiros Filho S (2002) Germinação e desenvolvimento de plântulas de melão-de-são-caetano em diferentes ambientes e substratos. Ciência Agronômica 33:39–44

    Google Scholar 

  • BFG (2015) Growing knowledge: an overview of seed plant diversity in Brazil. Rodriguésia 66:1085–1113. https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201566411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos SM (1962) Pollen grains of the plants of the “Cerrado”. IV. Bombacaceae, Connaraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Dilleniaceae, Erythroxylaceae and Gesneriaceae. Rev Bras Biol 22:307–315

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruz-Barros MAV, Corrêa AMS, Amorim FA (2011) Flora Polínica da Reserva do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (São Paulo, Brasil) Família: 61-Cucurbitaceae. Hoehnea 38:697–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erdtman G (1952) Pollen morphology and plant taxonomy—angiosperms. Almqvisit & Wiksell, Stockholm, p 539

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia DLQ, Hernández CL, Sanchez MLA (2003) Morfologia de los granos de pólen de la família Cucurbitaceae del Estado de Querétaro, México. Polibotánica 16:29–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomes-Klein VL, Lima LFP, Gomes-Costa GA, Medeiros ES (2015) Cucurbitaceae In Lista de Espécies da Flora do Brasil. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/jabot/floradobrasil/FB17036. Acess in: 10 out 2016

  • Jeffrey C (1962) Notes on Cucurbitaceae, including a proposed new classification of the Family. Kew Bull 15:337–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey C (1964) A note on pollen morphology in Cucurbitaceae. Kew Bull 17:473–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kouonon LC et al (2009) Reproductive biology of the andromonoecious Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis (Cucurbitaceae). Ann Bot 104:1129–1139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima FP, Miotto STS (2011) Pollen morphology of Cyclanthera and Sicyos species(Cucurbitaceae, Sicyoeae). Darwiniana 49(1):7–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima LFP, Evaldt ACP, Bauermann SG, Miotto STS (2010) Pollen morphology of Brazilian Fevillea (Cucurbitaceae). Grana 49(4):263–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lira R, Alvarado JL, Ayala-Neto ML (1998) Pollen morphology in Sicydium (Cucurbitaceae-Zanonioideae). Grana 37:215–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marticorena C (1963) Material para uma monografia de la morfologia del polen de Cucurbitaceae. Grana Palynologica 4:78–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melhem TS (1966) Pollen grains of the “Cerrado”. XII. Cucurbitaceae, Menispermaceae and Moraceae. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 38:196–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Peckolt G (1941) As Cucurbitáceas (Abóboras) Medicinais Brasileiras. Revista da Flora Medicinal 8(11):393–421

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira BS, Nunes-Pinheiro DCS, Vasconcelos AKP, Pinheiro ADN, Rodrigues PA (2010) Atividade hepatoprotetora dos extratos etanólico e hexânico das folhas de Momordica charantia L. Revista Brasileira de Plantas Medicinais, Botucatu 12(3):311–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perveen A, Qaiser M (2008) Pollen flora of Pakistan -LVI Cucurbitaceae. Pakistan J Bot 40:9–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Pruesapan K, Van Der Ham R (2005) Pollen morphology of Thrichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae). Grana 44(2):75–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punt W, Blackmore S, Nilsson S, Le Thomas A (2007) Glossary of pollen and spore terminology. Rev Paleobotany Palynol 143:1–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raynal A, Raynal J (1971) Une techinique de préparation des graines de pollen fragiles. Adansonia 11(1):77–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Resende MLF, Guimarães LL (2007) Inventários da biodiversidade do bioma Cerrado: biogeografia de plantas. IBGE, Rio de Janeiro

    Google Scholar 

  • Roubik DW, Moreno JEP (1991) Pollen and spores of Barro Colorado Island. Monogr Syst Bot Mo Bot Gard 36:268

    Google Scholar 

  • Salgado-Labouriau ML (1973) Contribuição à palinologia dos cerrados. Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Rio de Janeiro, p 291p

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer H, Renner SS (2011) Phylogenetic relationships in the order Cucurbitales and a new classification of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Taxon 60:122–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer H, Renner SS (2011) Cucurbitaceae. In: Kubitzki K (ed) The families and genera of vascular plants vol. 10, Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. Springer, Berlin, pp 112–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiers B (2016) [continuously updated]. Index Herbariorum: a global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium. http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/. Acess in 15 outubro 2016

  • Van Der Ham R, Van Heuven BJ (2003) A new pollen type in Old World Cucurbitaceae. Grana 42:88–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Der Ham RWJM, Mennes C, Van Heuven BJ (1999) Pollen morphology of Bayabusua (Cucurbitaceae) and its allies. Sandakania 13:17–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Der Ham R, Mennes C, Van Heuven BJ (2010) Fevilleoideae pollen (Cucurbitaceae): a study in striate ornamentation. Grana 49:157–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wanderley MGL, Melhem TS (1991) Flora Polínica da Reserva do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga. Hoehnea 18(1):78–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Zienkiewicz A et al. (2012) Reproductive Biology Research in Cucurbitaceae by High School Students. In: Mendez-Vilas A (Eds.) Current Microscopy Contributions to Advances in Science and Technology. 2. Badajoz. pp. 982–987

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the technicians (Department of Invertebrates of the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and Light and Scanning Microscopy Imaging Laboratory (LABIM of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), for providing technical assistance with the scanning electron microscopy. The Federal University of Goias (UFG) and the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB) for logistical support, CAPES for granting scholarship to the first author. This study received financial support from the CNPq [National Council for Scientific and Technological Development] and the FAPERJ [Foundation for the Support of Research in the State of Rio de Janeiro].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Vegetal, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II, Goiânia, Goias, 74001-970, Brazil

    Beryl Eirene Lutz & Vera Lúcia Gomes-Klein

  2. Laboratório de Palinologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brazil

    Fernanda da Costa Alzer, Cláudia Barbieri Ferreira Mendonça & Vania Gonçalves-Esteves

Authors
  1. Beryl Eirene Lutz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fernanda da Costa Alzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vera Lúcia Gomes-Klein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Cláudia Barbieri Ferreira Mendonça
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vania Gonçalves-Esteves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Beryl Eirene Lutz, and Fernanda da Costa Alzer. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Beryl Eirene Lutz, and Fernanda da Costa Alzer and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beryl Eirene Lutz.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lutz, B.E., Alzer, F.C., Gomes-Klein, V.L. et al. Pollen morphology of selected species of Cucurbitaceae Juss. from the Cerrado. Braz. J. Bot 44, 449–456 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-021-00697-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-021-00697-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation