Pollen morphology and hydration, ovule development, formation of pollination drop and the pollination process of Taxus chinensis (Pilg.) Rehd were investigated in detail. The results showed that mature pollen was one_celled, irregular in shape, nonsaccate, and the surface was covered with orbicules. When pollen became hydrated, the intine swelled and the exine bursted. The exine usually remained on the surface of water or on the pollination drop all the time, while the rest portion of the pollen sank into the drop of water or the pollination drop. In the late August, the down_curved female buds could be observed in the field trees. The downturning of the female buds was an characteristic feature discriminating from the vegetative buds. At this stage ovular primordium was present in the female bud with a dome_shaped nucellar primordium encircled by a rudimentary integument. The integument grew fast and overgrew the nucellus. In the March of the following year, the ovule formed a micropylar canal about 1?000 μm in length, 200-300 μm in width. Except the micropyle, the other part of the ovule was enclosed by 20-25 scales. During the early stage of the ovule development, the nucellar surface clearly showed cell configuration; but a membrane_like structure covering the nucellar apex appeared in the late stage of the ovule development, and subsequently broke down with nucellar cell disintegration before pollen shedding. The disintegrated cell products might partake in the formation of the pollination drop. Before and during pollination, the nucellar cells contained abundant mitochondria, endospermic reticulum and dictysomes with vesicles; the plasma membrane was undulated and there was no accumulation of electron_dense substances in the pericytoplasm. Pollination drops usually occurred at night, and disappeared by noon in the field tree. 15 days before pollination, the in vitro ovules from the field trees already had the capability of producing pollination drops, which could last for 4-5 days indoors. However,
