A palynological study of Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae) in Korea

Abstract

A palynological study of genus Dioscorea L. in Korea was conducted to evaluate the taxonomic implications. As a result of confirming the palynological characteristics of seven taxa of Dioscorea L., including six that are distributed in Korea and D. tokoro found in Japan, sections or species were classified according to the characteristics, such as the number of apertures, the polar end shape, and exine sculpturing. Specifically, the exine sculptures of D. coreana and D. tokoro, erroneously known to be distributed in Korea, are distinguished. The change in the number of apertures is closely associated with microsporogenesis, and it can be presumed that disulcate pollen might have been derived from monosulcate pollen in Dioscorea.