SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF MIYAKEA INTEGRIFOLIA MIYABE & TATEW. IN THE INFRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION OF PULSATILLA (RANUNCULACEAE): PALYNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES.

Miyakea integrifolia Miyabe and Tatew. was considered to be an endemic genus and species to Sakhalin Island, Russia, but the monotypic genus Miyakea was later subsumed into Pulsatilla as P. integrifolia (Miyabe & Tatew.) Vorosch. This taxonomic treatment has been supported by many botanists. At present, there are two opinions on the systematic position of P. integrifolia within the genus Pulsatilla: i) a separate monotypic subgenus Miyakea situated at the last position; ii) a close relative of P. patens and P. vernalis in ser. Patentes within the species-rich subgen. Pulsatilla. Since palynological evidence might be promising morphological traits for clarifying the systematic position of Miyakea, a table summarizing the pollen morphological traits within the genus Pulsatilla was prepared using the previous appropriate palynological reports. Hitherto, the morphology of Miyakea pollen supports the second opinion i.e., a close relative of P. patens and P. vernalis. Moreover, we pointed out the issues that should be focused on in future research on the pollen morphology of Pulsatilla s.l. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]