Abstract: The present paper describes the pollen morphology of 45 species of the subfamily Castaneoifeae (including genera Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus) from China. The pollen grains were all examined with light microscope, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Pollen grains of the subfamily are prolate, subprolate or perprolate, (14.7-23.1)× (8.4 -18.9) μm in size, 3-colporate, the exine in 2-layered, 0.9-1.9μm thick, indistinctly ornate, striate-rugulose or crass-striate, sexine and nexine almost equal in thickness, the sexine consists of tectum, bacules and endonexine under TEM. On the basis of very similar pollen shape, pollen size, type of aperture and exine structure and also other characteristics of plant morphology of the genera Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus, the present authors tend to support the opinion that they all fall into the samesubfamily, Castaneoideae.

Key words: Pollen morphology, Ultrastructure, Castaneoideae, Castanee, Castanopsis, Lithocarpus.