Pollen morphology as an aid to the identification of medicinal plants: Trianthema portulacastrum L., Boerhaavia procumbens banks ex Roxb., and alternanthera pungens Kunth

Trianthema portulacastrum, Boerhaavia procumbens and Alternanthera pungens have similarity in their leaf morphology. Pollen morphology has proved useful to distinguish all the three species. The pollen of Trianthema portulacastrum is 3-colpate, Boerhaavia procumbens is 5-colpate and Alternanthera pungens is fenestrate. Pore length, polar and equatorial diameter and P/E ratio are the main characters to help in the identification of these species