Abstract: Diverse ways of pollination, including aerial, epihydrophilous and hypohydrophilous ones occur in the Najadales. Although the knowledge of pollination biology in this order has been largely accumulated in recent years, most researchers ignored the role of stigmas in the pollination process. Based on the previous works, we supplemented observations on stigmatic characters and pollination mechanism in nine species from four families. The flowers of Aponogeton lakhonensis ( Aponogetonaceae ), Triglochin palustre ( Juncaginaceae), Potamogeton crispus, P. distinctus, P. gramineus, P. pectinatus, P. perfoliatus, P. pusillus (Potamogetonaceae), are all found to open above or on water surface. Stigmas in these species have a large surface area. Correspondingly, the pollen grains are all found to be globular. Of the eight species, except for P. pectinatus and P. pusillus, the remaining six obviously expose their stigmas out of the perianth. Another species , Najas marina (Najadaceae), has filiform stigmas and ellipsoidal pollen grains which can germinate in water before being transferred onto stigmas in natural conditions. Pollination takes place in this species strictly under water. The characters of pollen and stigmas could be divided into two types, and the pollination system is of two kinds of mechanisms of stigmas capturing pollen in the Najadales. The species with globular pollen grains have wide, large stigmas while those producing filiform or precocious pollen grains, which are likely to be captured by stigmas during the pollen dispersal by water currents, normally have filiform stigmas. It is inferred that various water stresses might have resulted in the diversification of pollinationsystem in the Najadales.

Key words: Najadales, Stigma, Pollination mechanism, Evolution