Abstract: Pollen morphology of 8 species in genus Sparganium from China has been studied. All of them were examined under the light microscope and SEM. It may draw the following conclusions: The characteristics of pollen grains in genus Sparganium are very similar. They are spheroidal, subspheroidal or sometimes slightly angular in shape, 21.8–38.3μm in diameter, monoporate. Porus is slightly sunken, its margin distinct or indistinct, and some granules on the porus membrane. The thickness of exine is 1.7–2.6μ m. The sexine is about as thick as nexine, sometimes thinner than nexine. It is difficult to distinguish one another under the light microscope, but may be seperated under SEM on the basis of the shape or size of lumina and width or height of muff. In some species small excrescenses can be observed under SEM. Some taxonomists (Rendle, 1953) considered that Sparganium is closely related to Pandanus, but others (Hutchison 1934, Takhtajan 1969) to Typha. According to the data of pollen morphology, Sparganium is more close to Typhaceae than to Pandanaceae, thus we agree to put it into family Typhaceae.

Key words: Sparganium, pollen morphology, Typha