Sediment Sampling
Pollen Identification
Instructions: Use the appropriate interactive key to identify each of the pictured specimens. You may change your answer any time by clicking on a specimen you have already identified.
Identify This Specimen
Species to IdentifyCheck Answers
Seed Key
Needle Key
Pollen Key
1.
Pollen has bladders (vesiculate)
Pollen has no bladders
2a.
Pollen is spherical/round or somewhat elongated in shape
Pollen is pyramidal (pear-shaped)
2b.
Pollen has spines or bumps
Asteraceae/Composite/Ambrosia
Pollen has pores only (porate)
Pollen has furrows
Pollen has no pores and no furrows
3.
Pollen has one pore (monoporate)
Gramineae/Poaceae/Grasses
Pollen has more than one pore
4.
Pollen has furrows only (colpate)
Pollen has furrows and pores (colporate)
5.
Pollen has three furrows and is slightly elongated
Quercus (oak)
Pollen has four shallow furrows
Fraxinus (ash)
6.
Pollen has three pores (triporate)
Pollen has more than three pores
7.
Three pores are on edge of grain and are protruding
Betula (birch)
Three pores are on edge of grain and not protruding
Ostrya/Carpinus
Three pores not on edge of grain
8.
Three pores are round and flat and on same face of pollen grain
Carya (hickory)
9.
Pollen has 4 or 5 pores
10.
Pores are connected by arcs
Alnus (alder)
Pores not connected by arcs and surface has rugulate (lobed) pattern
Ulmus (elm)
11.
Pollen is tricolporate and the circular pore exceeds the width of the furrow
Fagus (beech)
Pollen is tricolporate, elongated and small
Castanea dentata (American chestnut)
12.
Connection between bladder and body is not constricted at point of attachment
Picea (spruce)
Connection between bladder and body is constricted
13.
Cap on body has uneven thickness
Abies (fir)
Cap on body has even thickness and has bumps on bottom of body (verrucae)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
14.
Pollen has no pore or furrow and has a pyramidal shape
Cyperaceae (sedge)
Pollen has no pore or furrow and is large and round
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)