The pollen morphology of Nigerian Bignoniaceae juss .

The Pollen grains of eleven species of the Bignoniaceae represented in Nigeria have been studied by the light Microscope. The pollen grains are mostly circular or elliptic. The circular ones include those of Crescentia cujete Linn. Markhamia tomentosa (Benth.) K.Schum., Newbouldia laevis Seem., Oroxyllum indicum Vent., Spathodea campanulata P.Beauv., Stereospermum acuminatissimum K.Schum., Stereospermum kunthianum Cham., and Tabebuia rosea (Berthol)DC.; while the Elliptic ones are: Kigelia africana (Lam) Benth., Markhamia lutea (Benth.) K.Schum. and Tecoma stans (Linn.) H.B & K. and the shape/class range from prolate, sub-prolate to prolate spheroidal. The Prolate ones are Kigelia africana, Markhamia tomentosa, and Tecoma stans; the Subpralate types includes those of Crescentia cujete, Markhamia lutea, Oroxyllum indicum, Spathodea campanulata and Stereospermum acuminatissimum; while the Prolate-Spheroidal types are those of Stereospermum kunthianum and Tabebuia rosea. They are either tetracolporate or tri-colporate. The pollen of Crescentia cujete is Tetra-Colporate while the others are Tri-colporate (Tri-colporate = Pollen grains with three ectocolpi ;). The different pollen types are useful in the identification of the Nigerian Bignoniaceae. Keywords : Pollen grains, Morphology, Bignoniaceae, Nigeria. JOPAT Vol. 12 2007: pp. 31-38