A study on the pollen characteristics of some ornamental plant species cultivated in Malta

Abstract

The aim of this study was to study ornamental plants cultivated around the Maltese island. 41 plant species from 30 different families were investigated for their pollen characteristics. The pollens were collected in tubes on site, and then fixed and stained onto microscope slides in the laboratory. The pollen samples were then examined under the compound microscope and microphotographs were taken to record the characteristics of the pollens. The shapes and sizes were observed and recoded in tables. Form this study it resulted that three different types of shapes were found, the most common was spheriodal. The most common plant family featuring in this random collection was the Asteraceae family. This reflects the relative abundance of plant species within the family. Each pollen had a different size. The biggest pollen size was observed for Viola x 75.47µm while the smallest was that for Osteospermum 15.56µm.This study shows the relevance of studying pollen on an individual basis in order to apply this knowledge in several disciplines falling under the area of palynology.