Electron microscopical observations on pollen grains of some grass species

The ultrastructure of the pollen surface of fourteen grass species was investigated by studying carbon replicas and ultrathin sections. From the micrographs it was concluded that the investigated grasses can be divided into four groups according to the sculpture types of their pollen surface. One of these types appeared to occur in more than half of the grass species. Two spatial replicas of pollen grains justified the opinion that the shape of the pollen grains of grasses has value for pollen identification. It was concluded that for the identification of grass pollen electron microscopy is of less value than light microscopy.