Pollen of Sarawakodendron (Celastraceae) and some related genera, with notes on techniques

1. A simple technique for acetolysis of small quantities of polliniferous (herbarium) material is described and notes on pollen photomicrography are presented. 2. Pollen grains of Sarawakodendron and six related genera, consisting of twenty-nine mostly Malesian species, have been examined and recorded. 3. The result of pollen study on Kokoona and Lophopetalum agrees with the generic delimitation based on gross morphology. 4. At least four pollen types have been found in the genus Lophopetalum on examination of all the species involved. 5. The pollen of Sarawakodendron shows a great resemblance to that of the related genera Xylonymus and Kokoona. 6. The pollen of Hedraianthera and Brassiantha resembles that of Sarawakodendron, Kokoona, and Xylonymus in aperture configuration, but differs in sculpture and shows in this respect similarity to the pollen of the African Salacighia. 7. In Kokoona coarseness of reticulate sculpture appears correlated with anther characters. This genus can also be easily distinguished from Lophopetalum by its single pollen grains. 8. Parallels are found between the pollen types in Lophopetalum and those in Hippocratea (sens. str.).