Key to mangrove pollen and spores of southern China: an aid to palynological interpretation of Quaternary deposits in the South China Sea

Illustrations of, and keys to, mangrove pollen and spores from extant taxa are essential to studies of tropical Quaternary palynology and palaeoecology of estuarine and marine deposits. In this paper we present a pollen morphological “atlas” and identification keys for most of the mangrove flora of the coastal areas of south China, including an interspecific key to the major mangrove elements Rhizophora and Sonneratia. The morphology of the pollen and spores of 38 species of living mangrove and associated plants is described and illustrated by transmitted light photographs and scanning electron micrographs. These descriptions and illustrations, and the identification keys are presented at an achievable taxonomic level. The keys are open for future development so that pollen of other mangrove and associated plants can be accommodated when available. In their present state they should, nevertheless, aid palynological analyses of Quaternary mangrove and associated estuarine and marine deposits, particularly in the South China Sea and surrounding regions, but also elsewhere in tropical and subtropical regions.

► Pollen atlas and identification keys for Chinese mangrove flora. ► Diagnostic keys of major elements for higher taxonomic resolution. ► Aids dispersed pollen identification in marine Quaternary sediments. ► Aids palaeoecological determination of history of coastal vegetation. ► Application to South China Sea, surrounding areas and elsewhere.