DARWINIANA

34(1-4): 233-244. 1996

ESTUDIO PALINOLOGICO DE LAS ESPECIES ARGENTINAS DE MACROPTILIUM (FABACEAE)1

SUSANA I. DREWES

Laboratorio de Plantas Vasculares. Dpto de Cs. Biológicas. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. UBA. Pab. II, 4to. Piso, Ciudad Universitaria. 1428. Buenos Aires, Argentina

ABSTRACT: Drewes, S. I. 1996. Palynological studies of the argentinian species of Macroptilium (Fabaceae). Darwiniana 34: 233-244.

The pollen morphology of nine species of Macroptilium (Benth.) Urb.: M. panduratum (Benth.) Maréchal & Baudet, M. longepedunculatum (Benth.) Urb., M. lathyroides (L.) Urb., M. bracteatum (Benth.) Maréchal & Baudet, M. erythroloma (Benth) Urb., M. fraternum (Piper) Juárez & Pérez, M. psammodes (Lindman) Drewes & Palacios, M. prostratum (Benth) Urb and M. arenarium (Bacigalupo) Drewes & Palacios were studied with the photonic and scanning electron microscope. It is possible to differenciate them in two groups: 1) an homogeneous one, section Macroptilium, with colporate, spherical and reticulate or microreticulate grains; 2) an heterogeneous one, section Microcochle (Benth) Lackey, with porate or colporate, suboblate grains with different ornamentation. In the section Macroptilium the separation at species level is difficult due to the similarity of their grains, but in the section Microcochle they can be recognized by the type of ornamentation. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the pollen diagnostic characters that allow species identification.

1 Trabajo presentado en el VI Congreso Latinoamericano de Botánica. Octubre 1994.