Comparative pollen and foliar micromorphological studies using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of some selected species of Lamiaceae from Alpine Zone of Deosai Plateau,Western Himalayas

The study was conducted to highlight a detailed account of morphology of pollen chosen species of Lamiaceae through scanning electron microscopy, and the anatomical characteristics of leaf epidermis of seven species using simple light microscopy. In results, Anisomeles indica and Otostegia aucheri belong to subfamily Lamioideae because it has tricolpate pollen while the rest eight species belong to subfamily Nepetoideae (hexacolpate pollen). The exine sculpturing of pollen of studied species was found to be reticulate. In the family Lamiaceae, four kinds of stomata were found anomocytic, anisocytic, diacytic, and actinocytic, respectively. The cell wall patterns of epidermal cells were irregular or polygonal with straight or undulate walls. It was noted that the variety of the epidermal trichomes seems of taxonomically important for the identification of species of Lamiaceae. Both nonglandular and glandular trichomes were analyzed. The nonglandular trichomes were characterized with long, thin, and pointed apical unicellular cells. The nonglandular trichomes were A‐shaped in Thymus linearis. In Perovskia abrotanoides, stellate glandular trichomes were observed whereas in A. indica and Mentha royleana both glandular and nonglandular trichomes were found. In A. indica, the nonglandular trichomes were sessile and peltate in M. royleana. For the first time in this study, pollen and foliar micromorphological features of selected species of this area are carried out. These taxonomic characters were found to be important in discrimination of species from each other. In future, the detailed study with comprehensive morphology coupled with other important characters is required for delimitation of taxa at various levels.     

Anatomy,micromorphology, and histochemistry of leaves and stems of Cantinoa althaeifolia (Lamiaceae)

This article enumerates the detailed anatomy of Cantinoa althaeifolia (Lamiaceae) illustrated with light and scanning electron microscopy images. The anatomical markers include the presence of branched nonglandular trichomes and capitate, peltate, and clavate types of glandular trichomes; prismatic crystals on the leaf and stem surfaces; and oil droplets in the leaf mesophyll. Histochemical tests and EDS analyses were performed in order to detect the composition of certain cells and their contents. The key findings of the present study can contribute to the taxonomy, species identification, and quality control of Cantinoa althaeifolia.     

Taxonomic significance of foliar epidermal morphology in Lamiaceae from Pakistan

Foliar micromorphological features are useful to elucidate the taxonomy and systematics of the Lamiaceae species. Leaf epidermal morphology using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy of 22 Lamiaceae species from 15 genera have been investigated with an aim to solve its taxonomic problem in the correct identification. Various foliar micromorphological features were observed to explain their importance in resolving the correct identification of Lamiaceae taxa. Two main types of trichomes were observed; glandular trichomes (GTs) and nonglandular trichomes (NGTs). GTs were further divided into seven subtypes including the capitate, subsessile capitate, sessile capitate, sunken, barrel, peltate, and clavate. Similarly, NGTs were also divided into simple unicellular and multicellular including conical, falcate, cylindrical, dendrite, papillose, and short hook shape. Quantitative measurement includes the length and width of the trichomes, stomatal complex, epidermal cells, stomata, and trichomes index. Based on the foliar micromorphological characters, a taxonomic key was developed to delimit and correctly identify studied taxa. Further molecular, other anatomical and phylogenetic studies are recommended to strengthen the systematics of Lamiaceae.     

Systematics study through scanning electron microscopy; a tool for the authentication of herbal drug Mentha suaveolens Ehrh

In all over the world, herbal drugs are usually adulterated with similar species or varieties due to incorrect identification. Most of herbal products devoid purity and quality, therefore an attempt was carried out to identify plant species and authenticate its herbal drug products from Mentha suaveolens. Microscopy tools provide an excellent platform to identify plants at species level. In this study, microscopic and pharmacokinetic parameters of M. suaveolens were observed. Plant species were collected from high diverse areas of Northern Pakistan. Macro and micro‐morphology including palynology and anatomical features were analyzed to study M. suaveolens. Species characteristics were studied, while implementing microscopic techniques for the delimitation and identification of the species. Traditionally Mentha species are used to cure several diseases that is, digestive disorders, respiratory disorders. Micromorphology (stem, leaves, flowers structure, length etc.), palynology (shape, size of pollen etc.), and anatomical characters (types of stomata, epidermal cell shape, and trichomes) were studied. Micromorphology and anatomical characters were of great interest and significance to discuss the taxonomy of the species. Taxonomic characters were studied to characterize and authenticate the species. The aim of the present study is to observe in detail the taxonomic identification of the species in term of morphology, palynology, and foliar epidermal anatomy for the correct identification along with their medicinal uses in the area.     

Morphological and microscopic identification of three major medicinal Dendrobium species in Ta‐pieh Mountains area

Dendrobium is an important medicinal material in China. It has the effect of nourishing the stomach, nourishing yin and clearing heat. In China, there are many types of Dendrobium, and different Dendrobium species have different efficacy. The present study is aimed at distinguishing three major Dendrobium species from morphological and microscopic identification in Ta‐pieh mountains area. In this article, the roots, stems and leaves of Dendrobium huoshanense, Dendrobium officinale, and Dendrobium moniliforme are used as materials to compare the differences of tissues of these three Dendrobium species by morphological indexes and microscopic identification of different Dendrobium. The stem morphology of these three Dendrobium species was significantly different except for stem internodes number and the middle part of the stem diameter by measuring the stems of Dendrobium. To ensure the safe use of Dendrobium, we built a fast and convenient method combining normal and fluorescence microscopy was applied in the present study to distinguish D. huoshanense, D. officinale, and D. moniliforme. The microscopic results show that different types of Dendrobium exhibit different states that can be distinguished under normal light normal and fluorescence microscopy. This comparative study of morphology and microscopy contributes to the development of identification and quality evaluation of Dendrobium.     

Antioxidant activity and rosmarinic acid content of ultrasound-assisted ethanolic extracts of medicinal plants

The interest in finding natural antioxidants for use in food, drugs or cosmetic products has increased concerning the replacement of synthetic antioxidants due to their possible undesirable toxic effects on humans long-term exposed.Ethanolic extracts of Hypericum perforatum (Hypericaceae), Lavandula angustifolia (Lamiaceae), Malva sylvestris (Malvaceae), Melissa officinalis (Lamiaceae), Salvia officinalis (Lamiaceae), Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae) were obtained under sonication with a yield of 5.9%, 3.8%, 5.8%, 3.8%, 4.2% and 2.3% (w/w), respectively and their antioxidant activity assessed by the TLC-DPPH and DPPH assays. With exception of L. angustifolia and M. sylvestris extracts all the others showed antioxidant activity greater than 70% (at 0.1 mg/mL).The HPLC analysis shows that all tested extracts contain rosmarinic acid and suggest that H. perforatum extract have the highest concentration (2.76 mM) and M. sylvestris extract the lowest one (0.47 mM).In this study, we describe a simple laboratory procedure using an ultrasound-assisted ethanolic extraction from six medicinal plants. This potential didactic approach showed to be a rapid and effective process on preserving the antioxidant activity and rosmarinic acid content. The HPLC system was used to evaluate the ability to assess rosmarinic acid content.     

Taxonomic study of subfamily Nepetoideae (Lamiaceae) by polynomorphological approach

The present study is insight into pollen morphology for characterizing species and their utility in the taxonomic separation of certain taxa of subfamily Nepetoideae (Lamiaceae) from Pakistan. The pollen micromorphology of 11 species of the Nepetoideae was analyzed and documented using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for both qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Most species have hexazonocolpate pollen grains but trizonocolpate and tetrazonocolpate pollen with circular and oval amb were also rarely observed in Mentha spicata. The basic pollen shape in most of the studied species was subspheroidal but prolate grains were also observed in M. spicata, S. coccinea, and S. plebeia. The exine sculpturing of Nepetoideae pollen was taxonomically very informative particularly at subfamily level. Observations of exine sculpturing with SEM revealed various types of pollen grains: reticulate, bireticulate, microreticulate, perforate, aerolate, and gammate. The bireticulate type further subdivided into three subtypes based on the number of secondary lumina in each primary lumen and is characterized by varying characteristics of the secondary reticulum and primary muri. A significant variation was observed in colpus surface ornamentation. The maximum polar diameter was found in O. americanum (58 ± 5.8 μm) and the maximum equatorial diameter observed in O. basilicum (50.25 ± 1.37 μm). Pollen features of the studied species were discussed and compared based on the current taxonomical concepts. The results showed that pollen traits of the subfamily Nepetoideae was found significant to classify the taxa. Furthermore, pollen features provide additional evidence to distinguish macromorphologically similar taxa from each other.     

Genome-wide identification of <i>U-box</i> gene family and expression analysis under abiotic stresses in <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i>

Plant U-box (PUB) E3 ubiquitin ligases play important roles in hormone signaling pathways and in response to different abiotic stresses, but little is known about U-box genes in Danshen (root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge). Here, we identified and characterized 70 SmPUB genes based on its genome sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of U-box genes from S. miltiorrhiza and Arabidopsis suggested that they can be clustered into seven subgroups (I–VII). Typical U-box domains were found in all identified SmPUB genes through the analysis of conserved motifs. Moreover, qRT-PCR was applied to analyze the relative expression levels of U-box genes in S. miltiorrhiza roots and leaves under PEG-induced water deficit and salt stresses. Results revealed that the SmPUB genes exhibited stronger response to drought than to salt stress. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to perform genome-wide identification and analysis of the U-box gene family in S. miltiorrhiza, and the results provide valuable information for better understanding of the function of U-box in S. miltiorrhiza.     

Microscopic characters of the leaf and stem of Lavandula dentata L. (Lamiaceae)

Lavandula dentata L. is an aromatic plant used in folk medicine for different purposes and, for this reason, phytochemical surveys have been carried out in the search for bioactive substances aiming to support its uses. Since there is little knowledge on the structural aspects of L. dentata, this work has studied the anatomical characters of the leaf and stem using light and scanning electron microscopy, in order to assist the species identification. As a result, there are different types of trichomes: capitate glandular with uni‐ or bicellular head, peltate glandular with multicellular head, and branched non‐glandular. The leaf is hypostomatic showing diacytic stomata. The epidermis is uniseriate and coated with striate cuticle. The mesophyll is dorsiventral and the midrib is concave–convex and traversed by a single collateral vascular bundle. The stem is quadrangular and has alternating strands of collenchyma and cortical parenchyma as well as a typical endodermis in the cortex. The phloem and xylem cylinders are traversed by narrow rays and there is an incomplete sclerenchymatic sheath adjoining the phloem. These results are a novelty for the species and contribute to distinguish it from other lavenders. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:647–652, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Foliar micromorphology and its role in identification of the Apocynaceae taxa

In the present study, we evaluate the importance of foliar epidermal micromorphological characteristics of Apocyanaceae for accurate identification and classification. The species were collected from the University of Peshawar's main campus in the spring season to observe its qualitative and quantitative features. The length and width of guard cells, stomatal pore and subsidiary cells, trichomes, and crypts on both sides of the leaf were examined. Many species were observed to be hypostomatic. Plumeria rubra, Raulfia serpentine, Thevetia peruviana, Trachelospermum lucidum, Alstonia scholaris, and Catharanthus roseus demonstrated hypostomatic leaves. Nearly all the investigated species had anisocytic type of stomata only or in combination with other types of stomata on the upper and lower epidermis. Carissa carandas had anomocytic, anisocytic, and cyclocytic type of stomata on the upper epidermis, and the lower epidermis showed variations in stomatal type, such as anomocytic, stephanocytic, brachyparacytic, and hemiparacytic. Nerium oleander had no specific shape of stomata but showed stomatal crypts in which the stomata were enclosed inside many trichomes. The taxonomic key based on stomatal types, epidermal cells, stomatal index value, and statistical analysis, along with the variations in the epidermal cells, shows the link between the selected plants species, which will provide a baseline for future anatomical studies. This study highlights many undocumented micromorphological characteristics. The anatomical characteristics observed in this study will be helpful for taxonomic identification and species delimitation of the family Apocynaceae.     

Comparative anatomy on the vegetative organs of genus Ziziphora L. (Lamiaceae) from Turkey

The genus Ziziphora L. (Lamiaceae) is represented by five species (nine taxa) in the Turkish Flora. These taxa are Z. clinopodioides Lam. (subsp. elbursensis, subsp. filicaulis, subsp. kurdica, subsp. rigida), Z. capitata L., Z. persica Bunge, Z. tenuior L., Z. taurica Bieb. subsp. taurica, and Z. taurica Bieb. subsp. cleonioides (Boiss.) Davis which to be an endemic taxon for Turkey. They are strongly aromatic herbs which contain rich pulegone and used as herbal teas and spices and for this reason. In this study, comparative anatomy of the genus Ziziphora growing in Turkey is presented for the first time. In anatomical studies, cross sections of vegetative organs such as the root, stem, and leaf (lamina and petiole) were examined. In addition, to exhibit stomatal distribution and anatomy on adaxial and abaxial leaves were taken surface sections of the lamina and calculated stomatal index. Lamina and petiole anatomy were shown to be of great importance in the taxonomy of the Ziziphora taxa. The presence or absence of sclerenchyma in midrib of lamina and petiole, cortex parenchyma layer, mesophyll structure, and epidermal surface were found to be important characters for identification of Ziziphora taxa.     

Foliar epidermal anatomy of Lamiaceae with special emphasis on their trichomes diversity using scanning electron microscopy

Foliar epidermal features were based on the micromorphology of trichomes types, epidermal cells and stomatal complex. Even though each feature has its own limited taxonomic value but collectively these characteristics may be systematically important especially for the discrimination and identification of complex and problematic taxa. The systematics significance of nonglandular (NGTs) and glandular trichomes (GTs), stomatal complex and epidermal cells of Lamiaceous flora were analyzed by using the light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Variations on the observed epidermal appendages were divided into two basic types: glandular and nonglandular. GTs can be divided into subtypes: sessile capitate, subsessile capitate, and barrel and sunken. NGTs were also divided into subtypes: dendritic, stellate, conical, falcate, simple and 1–6 cells long having granulate and smooth surface ornamentation. NGTs were the most dominant features of both adaxial and abaxial surfaces of all observed taxa. Vitex negundo, Isodon rugosus, Colebrookea oppositifolia, and Marrubium vulgare could be demarked because of their twisted like appearance of NGTs at the abaxial surface. The Lamiaceae had both hypostomatic and amphistomatic leaf. Stomata were observed as diacytic, anisocytic, and anomocytic. Epidermal cells were found to be irregular, isodiametric, and rectangular. Based on these characters a taxonomic key was developed to delimit the closely related taxa. Distribution and morphology of the foliar epidermal trichomes through SEM highlight an important taxonomic tool used by the taxonomists as an aid to the correct identification of problematic Lamiaceae taxa.     

Systematic significance of pollen morphology and foliar epidermal anatomy of medicinal plants using SEM and LM techniques

Alternative medicinal source is a hot issue within medicine community now a days due to various side effects of allotropic drugs; most importantly the multidrug resistance phenomena. Medicinal plants provide an attractive and effective alternative to modern synthetic drugs as they contain different types of bioactive compounds, having great potential in treatment of various diseases. The present study deals with identification of micromorphological characteristics of 10 ethnomedicinally important plants of Northern Pakistan, that is, Aster himalaicus C. B. Clarke, Artemisia maritima (Berg.) Wellkomm, Isodon rugosus (Wall. ex Benth.), Myricaria squamosal Desv, Pedicularis groenlandica Retz. Polygonum aviculare L, Salvia himmelbauer E. Peter, Swertia kingie Hook. f., Tanacetum dolichophyllum (Kitam) Kitam, Verbascum epixanthinum Boiss. & Heldr. as potential source for pharmaceutical industry. The characters studied were shape and size of pollen, polar diameter and equatorial diameter, epidermal cell shape and size, stomata width and length, trichome shapes, and type. Most of the species had tricolporate pollen type but hexacolporate pollen was also observed in Isodon rugosus, Polygonum aviculare, Salvia himmelbauer. Different types of exine sculpturing observed were foveolate, scabrate, lophate, regular, steriate, and alveolate. Minimum equatorial diameter was noted in Tanacetum dolichophyllum (12.4 μm) and maximum in Myricaria squamosal (20.9 μm). Shape of epidermis cell ranged from rectangular and irregular, polygonal and pentagonal. Different types of stomata like anisocytic, actinocytic, paracytic, and diacytic were noticed. Variations in microscopic characters observed in the current study have great potential to be used as identification tools by the taxonomists for further studies.     

Light and scanning electron microscopy-based foliar morpho-anatomical comparison of selected family Rosaceae members distributed in District Lahore,Punjab, Pakistan

In the present study morpho-anatomical characterization of selected Rosaceae members distributed in District Lahore was performed. Light and scanning electron microscopy was used for systematic characterization of the selected 19 species. Distinguished morpho-anatomical features such as size and shape of epidermal cells, size and type of stomatal cells, size and shape of trichomes, oil droplets, and silica bodies were contrasted. Results reported remarkable variations which could be taxonomically useful in identification of these members. Polygonal epidermal cells were observed in Eriyobotraya japonica, Potentilla bifurca, Potentilla supina, and Prunus amygdalus. However, Prunus cerasus possessed irregular-shaped epidermal cells that can be distinguished from hexagonal epidermal cells of Prunus persica. Similarly, stomatal type varied among some members. Paracytic or perisocytic stomata were observed in E. japonica whereas P. bifurca observed paracytic and anisocytic stomata. Lengths of guard cells were also of variable sizes. The average length of guard cells ranged from 53 (52–54) μm to 74 (73–75) μm in abaxial view. Potentilla supina had biggest, while Rosmarinus officinalis had tiny guard cells. Trichomes were tubular, stellate, cylindrical, ribbon-like, glandular, and nonglandular. Silica bodies in the present investigation were bilobed, rounded, and oval-shaped. It is inferred that diverse anatomical features proved to be valuable taxonomic tools that could be fruitfully helpful in identification of plants at specific as well as generic level.     

Application of microscopy for discrimination of eight Swertia species utilized in the traditional Chinese medicine “Qingyedan”

Many Swertia species are utilized as a traditional medicine under the name “Qingyedan” in China, but are easily confused with one another. To distinguish eight Swertia species (S. mileensis, S. cincta, S. patens, S. punicea, S. delavayi, S. nervosa, S. macrosperma, and S. yunnanensis) and to ensure their safety and efficacy, the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of the roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of them were examined. The results showed that microscopic and macroscopic features helpful for authentication of the eight species were the sinuosity of the anticlinal walls of epidermal cells and presence or absence of hairs on the leaf lamina; presence or absence of V‐shaped fibers and fibers with sinuous abaxial wall in the sepals; shape of epidermal cells and pattern of papillae on hairs on the margin of corolla nectary; distribution of stomata in leaf and sepal epidermises, stone cells in cortex and phloem of roots and in cortex and pith of stems, crystals in parenchymatous cells of mesophyll and stem, stomata size, stem diameter, and 4‐ or 5‐merous flowers, and so on. Two keys to the eight Swertia species based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics are presented. The study indicates that microscopy and related techniques are convenient, practicable, and can be unambiguously applied for authentication of Swertia species. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:296–310, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

SURFACTANT MEDIATED EXTRACTION OF TRITERPENES AND THEIR DIRECT HPLC ANALYSIS FROM THE MICELLAR SYSTEM

The pentacyclic triterpenes oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) in Salvia triloba are attractive ingredients for cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations. These triterpenoids are constitution isomers and differ only in the position of one methyl group in their chemical structures. Therefore it is difficult to achieve a baseline separation by standard RP-HPLC systems. Another challenge is that the complex plant contains a large variety of similar compounds. To achieve precise results for the target molecules, these compounds should be removed prior to analysis. Due to the large application of these two triterpenes, a fast quantification method is favored. If the triterpenes are extracted with aqueous two-phase systems, the target substances are enriched in a surfactant-rich phase. For this application, it is desirable to develop a method that is capable of quantifying both triterpenes directly by RP-HPLC without additional purification steps.

The optimal chromatographic conditions for pure substances as well as for crude surfactant-containing extracts were accomplished on a Nucleodur C18 ISIS column by isocratic elution with methanol/water/acetic acid/triethanolamine (90:10:0.04:0.02 v/v) as the mobile phase and a column temperature of 10°C. The flow rate was 0.6 mL/min, and the detection wavelength was 210 nm. With these parameters, a baseline separation was achieved and the calibration curve showed a very good linearity (R² > 0.999 for OA and UA) within the test range. The method is simple, rapid, and reliable for the quantification of crude extracts from plant material.     

Foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics of taxa of Iris subg. Scorpiris Spach (Iridaceae) from Turkey

Iris L. is one of the important genus of family Iridaceae, consist of 56 taxa naturally occurred in Turkey. The similarities and variations in the subgenus overlapping the taxonomic positions of the species in the subgenera and needs anatomical assessment especially by microscopic techniques. In this study, the taxonomic significance of leaf anatomical characters of 10 Iris subgenus Scorpiris taxa were studied in detail and the relationship among these taxa were evaluated using microscopy techniques. Fresh leaf samples of species were fixed in 70% alcohol solution for anatomical observation under microscope. Eleven different micromorphological features were statistically analyzed to delimit the species in subgenus. Based on morphological and anatomical similarities, we studied relationships among; (1) ssp. turcica, ssp. caucasica, I. nezahatiae and I. pseudocaucasica; (2) correlation between ssp. turcica and ssp. caucasica; (3) association of I. galatica, I. persica, ssp. margaretiae and ssp. stenophylla with each other; (4) relationship between ssp. stenophylla and ssp. margaretiae; and (5) relevance between I. aucheri and I. peshmeniana. Moreover, the taxonomy of subgenus Scorpiris has been discussed in detail with novel and diagnostic features based on micromorphological physiognomies. We found that four species in this study are endemic to Turkey, while seven are critically endangered geophytes in the country. The leaf anatomical characteristics of 10 taxa were divided into three groups. Main aim of this research was to study the taxonomy of the complex subgenus Scorpiris through microscopic techniques.     

Comparison of Bougainvillea spectabilis and Bougainvillea glabra species inhibited in Pakistan based on microscopic studies: Light microscope and scanning electron microscope

The anatomical variations of two plants from the Nyctaginaceae family, Bougainvillea spectabilis and Bougainvillea glabra, were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy methods in this work. Bougainvillea is a dicotyledonous with defensive traits that can withstand extreme (hot and dry) settings; according to the findings, crystal inclusions in cells, woody spines, and an abnormal development pattern are all features that help them survive against predators and are unique to this species. The Bougainvillea plant's leaves are arranged in simple pattern, alternate to each other along stem having an undulate leaves edge and an oval form. The xylem and phloem, palisade, parenchyma midrib, spongy mesophyll, raphide crystal bundles, and trichomes were all visible when bracts and leaves were transversally sectioned and dyed with toluidine blue O (TBO). The presence of crystals was confirmed by a detailed examination of the transverse leaves by using bright-field and cross-polarizing microscopy. Dissecting microscopic examination showed that all the leaves revealed leaves venation pattern that had midvein, lateral veins areoles, and trichomes. Although trichomes have been identified on both sides, a closer look at a cleaned leaf dyed with TBO showed multicellular abundant trichomes on adaxial surface. Stomata complexes were typically found on the abaxial surface of the leaf according to epidermal peels. Present studies also showed that on adaxial side, stomata were lesser in number or were absent and also showed that the morphologies of the pavement cells on the adaxial and abaxial sides of the leaf differed.     

Palynological characteristics of some selected species of family Cucurbitaceae (Juss.) using light and scanning electron microscopy techniques

The pollen morphology of 11 species distributed in seven genera belonging to family Cucurbitaceae has been studied using light microscopy (LM) as well as scanning electron microscopy. Pollen morphology of this family is diverse and is almost europalynous. Nearly all types of pollen belonging to different size class and shape class with a variety of exine sculpturing are found in the family. Pollen grains are usually triporate to tricolporate, prolate, oblate‐spheroidal, spheroidal, to suboblate, radially symmetrical, and isopolar. The common exine pattern is reticulate of various forms ranging from finely reticulate to coarsely reticulate with some species having echinate type of exine ornamentation, for example, Cucurbita pepo and Praecitrullus fistulosus. Most of the studied species are somewhat triangular with respect to equatorial outlook and circular to elliptic in polar outlook. The palynological characteristics of the members of the family are useful in identification of taxa at generic level mostly. Based on the present study it is not recommended to wholly solely depend upon the pollen morphology for the identification of taxa especially at specific levels because very minor differences regarding pollen characters exist among the species of the same genera.