ORIGINAL RESEARCH
First Report of Palynological Study
and Taxonomic Significance of Boraginaceae
Using Scanning Electron Microscopy
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1
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid- i- Azam University Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
2
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University,
P.O. 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
3
Department of Botany, University of Chakwal, Chakwal, 48800, Pakistan
4
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment,
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
5
Department of Life Sciences, Western Caspian University, Baku, Azerbaijan
Submission date: 2024-07-13
Final revision date: 2024-09-07
Acceptance date: 2025-08-05
Online publication date: 2025-09-25
Corresponding author
Shabir Ahmad
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid- i- Azam University Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
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ABSTRACT
The palynological characteristics of 24 plant species of Boraginaceae were studied in the present
work. Using scanning electron microscopy, 24 taxa from 11 different genera were collected, identified,
analyzed, and studied for their morphological and phylogenetic features. Pollen size varies from
very small to medium, showing both types of polarity, and pollen types were heterogeneous, ranging
from tricolporate to octacolporate. Exine ornamentations varied among the reported species, i.e.,
psilate, reticulate, psilate-reticulate, granulate, perforate, and psilate-perforate. Different quantitative
and qualitative features of the pollen grains were noted, including polar diameter, equatorial diameter,
P/E ratio, exine thickness, mesocolpium, colpi length, and colpi width, which were measured using
microscopic techniques. The pollen morphologies of the species vary, and the data were analyzed
using the software IBM SPSS Statistics 20. The highest exine thickness was noted in Arnebia
speciosa (3.12±0.3μm), whereas the lowest value (0.95±0.1μm) was observed in two species, including
Buglossoides arvensis and Onosma hispida. The maximum P/E ratio was recorded in Arnebia
hispidissima 1.4. The study revealed the pollen morphology of Boraginaceae taxa, which plays a major
role in the identification and phylogeny of the species and their association with systematic studies.