Systematics of Zingiberaceae

The pollen morphology of 150 species representing 33 genera of Zingiberaceae was examined using light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as part of a comprehensive survey of this family. The pollen grains of the species studied are inaperturate, with a thin exine and thick intine, and with diverse ornamentation. This variation in the pollen suggests it may be a useful source of characters for future phylogenetic analyses based on combined datasets.