POLLINIA MORPHOLOGY OF SOME PLANTS OF ASCLEPIADACEAE IN LOWER COASTAL PLAIN OF WEST BENGAL: A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH

Abstract

The morphological diversity of pollinia of 8 plants belong to Asclepiadaceae were examined under LM in corresponds to their size (length, breadth), shape of pollinia sac, translator and corpusculum as well as colour and translator attachment to the pollinia sac. The investigated plants were Calotropis gigantea(L.) Dryand, Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton, Dregea volubilis (L.f.) Benth. Ex Hook. f., Gymnema sylvestreR. Br., Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R.Br., Hoya obscura (Major), Pergularia daemia(Forssk.) Chiov., Tylophora indica R.Br. Out of the 8 plants there are largest pollinia sac (length-1485μm, breadth-576 μm), translator (length-408, breadth-74), corpusculum( length-594, breadth-259) in Calotropis gigantea and smallest pollinia sac (length- 153 μm, breadth- 77 μm), translator (length-79 μm, breadth-23 μm), corpusculum ( length- 109 μm, breadth-55 μm ) in Gymnema sylvestris. As a unit of flower Pollinia as well as pollen are an important tool to arrange and identify plant taxa.