Aberrant pollen in southern African Oxalis (Oxalidaceae)

The formation of aberrant pollen is a well-known phenomenon reported in various angiosperm families. The presence and range of aberrant pollen grains among southern African members of Oxalis L. were studied by SEM analysis. Seven categories of grain aberrations and two successiform series were identified. Grain aberrations were most frequently found amongst pollen with supra-areolate exine structures and always affected the number and arrangement of the colpi. The exine structure is never altered. No distinct correlation could be detected between grain aberrations and ploidy levels.