We would like to give our special thanks to Dr. Biilent TURGUT for statistical analyses and also Research Project Fund of Artvin Coruh University (Project No: 2011.F15.02.16) for financial support.In this study, the detailed pollen morphological structures of three endemic Cirsium (Asteraceae) Miller taxa showing the natural distribution in NE Anatolia, Turkey: C. trachylepis Boiss., C. sommieri Petrak, and C. pseudopersonata Boiss. & Bal ssp. pseudopersonata were examined. The taxa were investigated for the first time by using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. Pollen grains are oblate spheroidal and suboblate with tricolporate aperture type. Sizes of the grains range from 45.22 to 46.55 mu m on the equatorial axis mean and from 40.50 to 41.67 mu m on the polar axis mean. Exine structure is tectate and mean thickness of exine varies from 1.22 to 1.92 mu m. Pollen ornamentations are echinate-perforate-microreticulate or echinate-microreticulate with supratectal spines. According to the variance analysis, there are some similarities among taxa but most of values investigated have been found significantly different. The pollen morphologies observed in this study are in a harmony with their sectional classification of Cirsiumbased on morphological characteristics
