Morpho-Palynological Studies of Medicinal Plants in Tehsil Isa Khel using Microscopic Techniques

Abstract

The present study is considered to assess pollen morphological attributes of selected Asteraceous, Brassicaceous, Fabaceae and Amaranthaceae species from tehsil Isa Khel (Mianwali), Punjab using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques for its taxonomic and systematic significance in identification. Pollen from 25 different species belong to four different plant families were collected from numerous distributional localities. Different palyno-morphological characteristics were investigated using LM and SEM. In Asteraceous species three types of pollen (tricolporate, trizonocolporate and tetracolporate) were observed. Pollen shape was observed prolate-spheroidal in three species while oblate-spheroidal were detected in Parthenium hysterophous and Erigeron bonariensis. While sculptruing of exine were echinate, echinate fenestrate, echinate perforate and scabrate echinate. Mesocolpium measurement was calculated maximum for Sonchus oleraceous is 16.6 μm. Brassicaceae species pollen were circular, lobate, tricolpate and exine show reticulate pecularities. While dominant shape was obalte-spheroidal followed by prolate-spheroidal and sub-prolate in Lepidium didyum and Sisymbrium irio respectively. Mesocolpium distance was examined highest for Raphanus raphanistrum 14.4 μm. In Amaranthaceae family, mostly oblate-spheroidal pollens shapes were observed. In Chenopodium murale, Digera muricata, Amaranthus viridis polyporate pollen type was observed. While dominant pollen polar view in this family was circular. Scabrate, perforated sculpturing exists in this family. While in Fabaceae family, lobate, circular and polyad pollen were observed. Mostly oblate-spheroidal pollen shape was dominant. Medium size pollen grains exist in the family. Circular, polyad pollen are dominant. Exine sculpturing is mostly psilate, perforate, exine thickness was noted maximum in Erigeron bonariensis (2.9 μm) in Asteraceous species and in Brassicaceae, L. didymum having (2.7 μm), in Fabaceae family Dalbergia sissoo DC. having (1.05 μm), in Amaranthaceae, Amaranthus viridis having (1.18 μm). The study showed that pollen micromorphology has important role in identification and classification of different plants genera belong to different families. The study gives data for a region which allows an analysis of Palyno-morph features helpful in the accurate identification of species from flora of tehsil Isa Khel, Mianwali were elaborated.