Abstract: Pollen submicroscopic morphology of 8 wild species with potential breeding capabilities from Sect. Idaeobatus and Sect. Malachobatus and 17 introduced cultivars of bramble (Rubus L.) from raspberry and blackberry were examined with scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the pollen grains were prolate and perprolate, 25.52 μm × 15.37 μm - 50.06 μm × 25.65 μm in size. The exine ornamentation was diverse, distinctly different among species even cultivars. For example, it was mainly striate-perforate in Sect. Idaeobatus as well as raspberry cultivars, striate and striate-perforate in blackberry cultivars, which were clearly different from that of any one of 3 species in Sect. Malachobatus. Cluster analysis results indicated that the size and exine ornamentation characters of pollen could reflect the traditional taxonomy of Rubus. A close blood relationship between those raspberry cultivars and the wild species R. coreanus or R. niveus in Sect. Idaeobatus and far blood relationship between those blackberry cultivars and those 3 wild species in Sect. Malachobatus were found.

Key words: Rubus L., Pollen, Submicro-morphology, Palynology