No abstract

The present work investigates the pollen of 14 taxa of the subfamily Mimosoideae (Leguminosae) occurring in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The objective was to characterize the pollen grains of representatives of the subfamily Mimosoideae and to offer the knowledge for the taxonomy. Pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, described and illustrated using light microscopy. Surface and aperture detail of non-acetolyzed pollen grains were observed and electromicrographed using scanning electron microscopy. The data were statistically analyzed in accordance with sample size. Only polyads were observed in the tribe Ingeae (Abarema Pittier, Albizia Durazz., Calliandra Benth. and Inga Mill.), while two types of pollen units were found in the tribe Mimoseae; the bitetrad type (Mimosa bimucronata (DC) Kuntze, Mimosa elliptica Benth., Mimosa pellita Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd., and Piptadenia trisperma (Vell.) Benth.); and the polyad type (Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan, Mimosa ceratonia L., and Piptadenia pterosperma (Benth.) Brenan.). Thus, it can be concluded that the present evaluation of palynological characters allowed the separation of majority of the species studied and that the genera of the subfamily are eurypalynous.