• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.87-108
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• 2007

The pollen morphology of 31 taxa, representing all woody species from 12 genera of Fabaceae in Korea, was examined by light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The pollen grains were monad and prolate spheroidal or rarely subprolate in equatorial view. The pollen grain aperture was trizonocolporate or rarely trizonooperculate, which does not occur in the other families of Fabales in Korea. The exine showed a great variety of sculpture pattern, i.e. psilate, microperforate, densely microperforate, perforate, polygonal perforate, macroperforate, macroperforate with granules in holes, polygonal macroperforate, verrucate with pitted perforate striae, verrucate-perforate, granulate, rugulate, reticulate or refined reticulate. The pollen morphological data supported the idea that the genera Echinosophora and Sophora were congeneric. Caragana (Galegeae) was quite close to the Sophora group (Maackia, Sophora and Echinosophora) of the Sophoreae in each measured pollen parameter and exine sculpture pattern. Eleven genera of Fabaceae were recognized based on differences in aperture type, pollen grain shape and exine pattern, and a generic pollen key of the woody Fabaceae in Korea was developed. A key to pollen types of Lespedeza was also suggested. The examined taxa of Coronilla and Wisteria were recognized by their exine patterns.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2022

A palynological study of genus Dioscorea L. in Korea was conducted to evaluate the taxonomic implications. As a result of confirming the palynological characteristics of seven taxa of Dioscorea L., including six that are distributed in Korea and D. tokoro found in Japan, sections or species were classified according to the characteristics, such as the number of apertures, the polar end shape, and exine sculpturing. Specifically, the exine sculptures of D. coreana and D. tokoro, erroneously known to be distributed in Korea, are distinguished. The change in the number of apertures is closely associated with microsporogenesis, and it can be presumed that disulcate pollen might have been derived from monosulcate pollen in Dioscorea.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.74-83
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• 2005

The ontogeny of pollen wall in Panax ginseng was studied with transmission and scanning electron microscopy from early tetrad stage until pollen maturity. Initial indication of exine development is undulation of plasma membrane for the preparation of bacular mound. The first recognizable structure of the pollen wall is the cellulosic primexine which is formed outside of the plasma membrane while microspore tetrads are still surrounded by callose wall. As development proceeds, foot-layer and baculum differentiation, callose dissolution and exine formation were progressed. During this process, sporopollenin is deposited into the exine, and then endexine development was followed. The intine, innermost pollen wall layer, is developing form hypertrophic Golgi vesicles. The thickness of exine is very even on all along the pollen wall, but intine thickness of apertural region is thicker than that of nonapertural region. Mature pollen of ginseng is $20{\mu}m$ in size, tricolpate and shows fine reticulate sculpturing.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.62-65
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• 2010

This study was carried out to estimate the size and exine pattern of pollen grains in seven species of the genus Lilium by using scanning electron microscope. Exine of pollen grains, which were all monad, took the prolate forms with a pollen aperture. However, there were various L/W ratio between length (L) and width (W) of pollen grains among selected Lilium species. The pollen of L. distichum was oblong shape which had the highest L/W ratio of 2.59. On the other hand, that of L. concolor var. partheneion was broadly elliptical shape close to circle which had the lowest L/W ratio of 1.82. The surface patterns of exine were reticulate in all Lilium species that have showed diverse forms in their lumina. Pollen length and width in L. lancifolium had the greatest value, 115.90 and $46.54{\mu}m$, respectively, in comparison with those of L. tsingtauense, 70.33 and $38.72{\mu}m$, respectively. Except L. distichum and L. leichtlinii var. maximowiczii which had a similar pollen length within standard errors, the others in Lilium species showed different sizes, respectively. Therefore, these results indicated that pollen length could be a better standard for the classification of Lilium species than exine surface patterns or pollen dissection area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.5
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• pp.663-672
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• 2010

The pollen morphology of eleven species and three forms of the genus Rhododendron (Ericaceae) in Korea was examined using light, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. The pollen grains are grouped in permanent tetrahedral tetrads; viscin threads are present on the tetrads. The hexacolporate tetrads are of tricolporate monads whereby the apertures form in pairs at six points in the tetrad. The exine sculpture pattern is rugulate, scabrate or verrucate on mesocolpium but psilate, rugulate or microscabrate around the aperture on apocolpium. The exine of Korean Rhododendron pollen consists of tectum, columella, foot layer and endexine. The surface of viscin threads is more or less smooth. The threads are sometimes tangled together and occasionally divided into strands. Six types are recognized based on the pollen morphology. The types are: (1) Micranthum-type (rugulate mesocolpium and psilate apcolpium), (2) Tomentosum-type (rugulate mesocolpium and apocolpium), (3) Aureum-type (scabrate mesocolpium and rugulate apocolpium), (4) Brachycarpum-type (scabrate mesocolpium and rod shaped-microscabrate apocolpium), (5) Schlippenbachiitype (scabrate mesocolpium and round-microscabrate apocolpium) and (6) Weyrichii-type (verrucate mesocolpium).

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.2 no.5
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• pp.460-467
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• 2018

Three-dimensional (3D) refractive-index (RI) imaging and quantitative analyses of angiosperm pollen grains are presented. Using optical diffraction tomography, the 3D RI structures of individual angiosperm pollen grains were measured without using labeling or other preparation techniques. Various physical quantities including volume, surface area, exine volume, and sphericity were determined from the measured RI tomograms of pollen grains. Exine skeletons, the distinct internal structures of angiosperm pollen grains, were identified and systematically analyzed.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2020

Objectives : We tried to establish standards for genuine by discriminating 3 kinds of pollen and spore herbs that are highly to be mixed with each other. Using an scanning electron microscope, we prepare a standard for discriminating external morphological characters of minute herbs, thereby contributing to the stable supply of genuine herbal medicines. Methods : Standard samples were confirmed by literature review on external morphological characteristics of original plants and herbal medicines, and collection and identification of original plants. The herbal medicines on the market were purchased and classified with using naked eye observation and magnifier. Finally, micromorphological identifications were conducted using an scanning electron microscope. Results : 1. Pini Pollen was clearly distinguished by its relatively medium size and a pollen grain with two swollen reticulate sacci at both ends. The verrucate ornamentation on the exine surface of the corpus and a sunken leptoma germ pore may be used as a discrimination criteria. 2. Typhae Pollen was distinguished by its relatively small size and a saccus on the end of a pollen grain. Reticulate ornamentation of exine surface of the corpus, and a slightly clear ulcerate germ pore can be used as a discrimination criteria. 3. Lygodii Spora was distinguished by its relatively large triangular-ovate shape and trichotomous fissure. Verrucate-tuberculate ornamentation of exine surface and trilete aperture could be used as a discrimination criteria. Conclusion : These results indicate that the use of electron microscopy is very effective for discriminating the external morphology of minute herbal medicines.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.163-177
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• 2008

Pollen grains of 17 taxa (14 species with two additional subspecies and one variety) of genera Patrinia Juss. and Nardostachys DC. in tribe Patrinieae (Valerianaceae) were studied using light microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. Pollen grains are medium ($37.41{\times}43.60{\mu}m$ - $45.65{\times}48.50{\mu}m$) to large ($54.88{\times}59.41{\mu}m$ - $61.70{\times}71.00{\mu}m$) in size, tricolpate (rarely tetracolpate) with the characteristic halo surrounding the aperture. In equatorial view, the pollen is oblate to subprolate, and in polar view, it is mostly circular or rarely 3-lobed. Two major pollen types are recognized on the basis of exine sculpturing patterns; Type I: Exine is composed of echinae together with sparse or dense microechinae, and verrucae shallow or rarely absent (Nardostachys and sections Paleopatrinia, and Monanadropatrinia of Patirinia). - Type II: Exine is composed of massive echinae together with dense microechinae, and prominent verrucae (section Centrotrinia of Patrinia). In TEM sections, columellae are extended from the footlayer into verrucae, and exine thickness is uniform at the pole and equator. Additionally, the infrageneric classification systems of the Patrinieae were evaluated on the basis of the present data.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.651-656
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• 2016

Bee pollen is produced by honeybees and is considered one of the most balanced and nourishing nutritional supplements available. Historically, bee pollen has been prescribed for its healing properties and consumed for its high-energy supply. Recent research has provided evidence that bee pollen has diverse biological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and even anti-cancer effects. However, the outer membrane of the pollen grain, exine, is highly resistant to most acidic solutions, high pressure, and even digestive enzymes, and the resulting low bioavailability limits its nutritional and clinical applications. This study applied a wet-grinding method to destroy the exine effectively, and it then examined the pollen's enhanced biological activity. First, microscopic observations provided strong evidence that wet grinding destroyed the exine time-dependently. In addition, the content of polyphenols, well-known ingredients of bee pollen and used as internal standards for the quality control of commercial pollen preparations, increased up to 11-fold with wet grinding. Further, the anti-oxidant activity demonstrated on the ABTS anti-oxidant assay, as well as the DPPH radical scavenging assay, was also dramatically increased. Together, the results presented here support a new technology by which bee pollen can be used as a resource for medical, nutritional, and cosmetic applications.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2019

A pollen morphological study was conducted using light and scanning electron microscopy involving six species belonging to the subtribe Neoguillauminiinae. Pollen samples from the six species are tricolporate, and the colpi are surrounded by broad margo, with the widest width in the equator, narrower toward the pole, and rounded at the end. Based on the pollen morphology, pollen of the species in the subtribe Neoguillauminiinae were divided into four types: the Neoguillauminia type (T1), the C. collinus type (T2), the C. casuarinoides type (T3) and the C. paucifolius type (T4). The generic divergence between Neoguillauminia and Calycopeplus was supported by the pollen characters of the size, amb and lumina shape. In particular, the traits of rounded shape in the outline of the polar view and circular lumina, which appear only in the pollen grains of N. cleopatra, support the recognition of Neoguillauminia as a monotypic genus. Calycopeplus oligandrus and C. paucifolius had the same reticulate pattern of pollen grains, supporting Forster's hypothesis that these two species are closely related. On the other hand, the close relationship between the morphologically similar C. collinus and C. casuarinoides was not supported by the pollen characters. Within the subtribe there are two equally parsimonious hypotheses regarding the evolution of exine characters. The first consists of two changes of microreticulate through parallel evolution from the primitive reticulate exine, and the second is that the microreticulate pattern is differentiated from the reticulate state and then reversed to reticulate pollen grains.