Abstract: Different methods were applied to specimen preparation of Elaeagnus umbellata pollens for SEM observation. Results indicated that the natural drying pollen morphology of E.umbellata changed seriously, but pollen shape maintained well by the fixation and dehydration. The pollen grains of E.umbellata are subspheroid in equatorial view, triangle-boll and 3-colporate in polar view, and the exine sculpture is cerebroid. Viability of the pollen was measured by I₂-KI staining in different time after anthesis. Results showed that the mean pollen viability is high in inchoate anthesis, and declines after sharply 36 hours, but a few pollen grains are still viable at the end of anthesis.

Key words: Elaeagnus umbellate, Pollen morphology, Pollen viability, SEM