The pollen of six taxa in the genus Atractylodes DC. in Northeast Asia was investigated by the light and the scanning electron microscope. The pollen grains were monads, spherical or prolate-spheroidal in shape. Aperture was tricolporate, 19.8-25.9㎛ in colpus length, 6.0-8.4㎛ in colpus width and 4.2-8.3㎛ in porus diameter. The exine was composed of three layers(foot layer, columellae, tectum), and 5.3-6.7㎛ in thickness. The surface sculpturing pattern was the perforate and echinate. echinate spines were 2.6-3.6㎛ in length, 8.6-11.3㎛ in distance apart and 6-9 per 60㎛^2 in distribution numbers over the surface. Two types of pollen size could be recognized. Type Ⅰ was more than 50㎛ and A. macrooephala Koidz, was belong to this type. Type Ⅱ was less than 50㎛ and five taxa [A. chinensis Koidz., A. japonica Koidz. ex Kitamura , A. koreana (Nakai) Kitamura, A. lancea (Thunb.) DC., A. ovata (Thunb.) DC.] belong to this type. Among these, four taxa of having taxonomical problems (A. chinensis Koidz., A. japonica Koidz. ex Kitamura, A. lancea (Thunb.) DC., A. ovata (Thunb.) DC.] were not delimited by pollen morphology. In conclusion, it seems that the present palynological data of genus Atractylodes DC. in Northeast Asia were not much useful for the delimitation among the taxa.
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