Abstract: Various methods have been trim to estimate directly the transferring of pollen grains among flowers by pollinators. Though the approach to search marker gene specific in the parental population is popular today, using fluorescent dyes as pollen surrogates is also charming for its simplicity and inexpensiveness in nature. However, another decoration method of staining pollen wall with dyes though seldom used will be described. Pollen grains in dehisced anthers were stained with safranine or methyl green in five entomophilous plants, including Sagittaria trifolia L. , Hibiscus mutabilis L. , Zephyranthes candida Herb., Salvia splendens Ker. Gawl., Tagetes patula L. The results indicated that pollen grain dyeing, an easily operated decoration method, could be used in various taxa with diversity floral traits, especially facilitates the work in field populations. It could also be used directly to observe pollen carryover and mixed pollen loads on stigmas.

Key words: Safranine, Methyl green, Entomophilous plants, Pollen flow