• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.24-39
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• 2012

The palynological study of 31 taxa of Korean Artemisia L. was carried out to evaluate their taxonomic characteristics and to determine the relationships among the taxa. The size and shape of the pollen are not used as characteristics to classify the taxa of Korean Artemisia L., but the granule distribution ands pinule connection on the exine were useful for an interspecific classification and for reflecting the relationship between some taxa. It is considered that Artemisia pollen has evolved from a connected spinule and a nearly psilate surface into 1) a connected spinule and a granule surface, 2) a disconnected spinule and a granule surface, 3) a disconnected spinule and a dense granule surface. These pollen characteristics with external morphological characteristics, a geographical distribution and a somatic chromosome number are considered to be good characteristics for distinguishing the relationship of some taxa, such as the A. japonica group (A. hallaisanensis, A. angustissima, A. littoricola) and the A. sacrorum group (A. sacrorum var. sacrorum, A. sacrorum var. incana, A. sacrorum var. iwayomogi).