Dept of Botany, S. N. College, Kollam, Kerala, India.
*This work was done at the Environmental Resources Research Centre, Peruorkoda, Thiruvananthapuram -69500, Kerala, India.
A study of the pollen morphology of 44 cultivars of Coconut (Cocos nucifera) has shown the occurrence of two morphoforms namely monocolpate -elongate and megaporate -spheroidal in the pollen mass of most varieties in varying frequencies. The monocolpate form is most common in a majority of varieties, and the porate is generally in smaller frequencies. In a few varieties porates were over 90% (Laccadive ordinary: 98%; L. micro, Nadora tall, San Roman tall: 90%). It is suggested that the monocolpates are primitive and the porates advanced, on which basis the varieties with higher frequencies of monocolpates may be considered more primitive.
