Morphology and ultrastructure of Tilioideae pollen: how to differentiate Craigia, Mortoniodendron, and Tilia.

ABSTRACT: Assigning fossil Tilioideae pollen grains to the extant genera Craigia, Mortoniodendron, and Tilia is difficult. Firstly, the pollen from these genera appears similar when studied only with light microscopy. Secondly, comparison data showing the morphological and ultrastructural range of Mortoniodendron pollen need to be better defined, and there is a lack of transmission electron micrographs of Craigia pollen. Cenozoic palynorecords from Europe, especially of Paleogene age, document several Tilioideae-type pollen of taxonomic uncertainty. It is unclear if they represent extant Tilioideae genera, extinct taxa within the subfamily, or other closely related fossil or living Malvaceae. To assist in future taxonomic assignments of fossil Tilioideae-type pollen, we investigated extant Craigia,

SUBMITTER: Geier C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12149084 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature