Pollen morphology of 62 taxa from all 25 genera of the Oleaceae was investigated by using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. The genera are divided into the following pollen groups on the basis of surface sculpturing pattern: A. Pollen surface foveolate: Myxopyrum and Comoranthus. B. Pollen surface reticulate to micro-reticulate. B-1. Muri surface psilate: Jasminum, Menodora, Forsythia, Abeliophyllum, Schrebera, Nyctanthes, Syringa, Ligustrum, Picconia, Haenianthus, Forestiera, Dimetra, and Priohymnanthus. B-2. Muri surface transversally banded: Fontanesia, Fraxinus, Notelaea, Olea, Hesperelaea, Phillyrea, Noronhia, Osmanthus, Chionanthus, and Nestegis. The present palynological groups do not support the conventional infrafamilial systems by Bentham and Hooker (1876), Johnson (1957), Engler (1864), and Takhtajan (1997) and the molecular system by Wallander and Victor (2000). It is suggested that the subfamilial and tribal systems need to be re-evaluated and amended.

Key words: Jasminoideae, Nyctanthoideae, Oleaceae, Oleoideae, pollen morphology, taxonomic system