Pinaceae Pollen

The Pinaceae (pine family) is a gymnosperm family, which is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Members of this family are the dominant vegetation in many Northern Hemisphere forests and woodlands with Pinus (pine) the largest genus in the family. Four species of Pinus are native to Oklahoma and several other Pinus species have been introduced. In addition, other genera such as Cedrus (cedars) and Picea (spruce) are widely used in landscaping. Members of the Pinaceae are monoecious with separate pollen cones and seed cones produced on the same tree. 

The pollen grains in most members of the family are large (50-100 µm) and saccate with two air bladders. Because of the similarity of saccate pollen, they are identified as Pinaceae pollen in air sample analysis. In Tulsa, Pinaceae pollen is primarily found in air samples from March through June.