Floral development of Maidenia rubra Rendle, (Hydrocharitaceae)

1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 585 ◽  
Author(s):  
CA McConchie

Floral development of Maidenia rubra was followed from initiation to maturity. Plants are dioecious. Both male and female inflorescences develop from complexes initiated subapically. Complexes have three meristematic components that include two inflorescence initials flanking a central primordium; these form sequentially in the axil of the preceding initial. The third component also produces an inflorescence and branches sympodially to form further floral initials that have a spiral arrangement. The female inflorescences produce a single flower only with an inferior, unilocular ovary and three sepals, staminodes and bifid stigma. In the locule, numerous bitegmic ovules, borne panetally, are produced. A male inflorescence produces hundreds of small flowers that are released and float to the surface individually. Each male flower has three sepals, a staminode and two stamens, each anther consisting of three locules with eight pollen grains. Prior to maturation, the anther wall breaks down leaving a membraneous layer that assists in binding the octad of pollen grains together. Both male and female inflorescences are enclosed in a pair of fused bracts. The floral morphology is compared with other closely related genera in the Hydrocharitaceae and the unique features are assessed.

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Stawiarz ◽  
Anna Wróblewska

Abstract A study on the flowering biology and pollen production of the common laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides Med.) was conducted under the conditions of Lublin during the period 2004 - 2006. The flowering of this species began in the second 10-day period of May and lasted for 2.5 - 4 weeks. The flowers of common laburnum are borne in showy golden-yellow pendulous racemes. They develop successively, starting from the base and moving to the tip of an inflorescence. During the growing season, one shrub produces 800 to 3200 racemes, with 14 to 35 flowers in a single raceme. On average, the flowering duration for a raceme was 12.8 days and 8.7 days for a single flower. Throughout the study years, the shrubs proved to be most attractive in the third 10-day period of May when they reached full bloom. The average weight of pollen produced was 6.08 mg per 10 flowers of Laburnum anagyroides, 14.02 mg per raceme, and 26.0 g per shrub. Pollen grains reached average dimensions of 24.01 μm × 24.26 μm.


1968 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
GL Davis

Flower buds are first recognizable in late December at the commencement of new growth, and the deciduous bracts enclosing each cyme are shed about 3 weeks later. The buds increase rapidly in size, but anthesis does not occur until the end of September and the seeds are not shed from the capsules until the following August. The development of the double operculum and the floral parts is traced. Archesporal tissue is differentiated in the anthers in late February but ovule primordia are not formed until the end of March, by which time the stamens have reached their full size and anther wall formation is well advanced. In each bud events in the anthers and ovules are broadly comparable, but variation in the stages of development occurs between buds on the same branch. Meiosis takes place during the winter months, and embryo sac development follows the Polygonum type. The components of the egg apparatus undergo a threefold increase in size after their formation and, whereas the egg contains little cytoplasm, the synergids become densely cytoplasmic and laterally hooked. The pollen grains are two-celled when they are shed through the slits at the apices of the anthers. A comparison is made of the embryology of E. melliodora and that of species cultivated in Italy and the Black Sea area of the Soviet Union.


1997 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 630-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.H. Huang ◽  
C.E. Johnson ◽  
M.D. Sundberg

Floral morphology and differentiation of `Sharpblue' southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) were studied under natural growing conditions. There was no rest period during floral development of `Sharpblue' blueberry in Louisiana. Basal florets were already present within a racemic inflorescence in early September. All floral and reproductive organs were clearly visible in early December. Microspores and pollen grains were observed in mid- and late-January, respectively. Megasporocytes, two-cell, four-cell, and seven-cell embryo sacs were found to be simultaneously present in developing ovules in late January, suggesting that megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis in `Sharpblue' blueberry are asynchronous.


Rodriguésia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanina de Jesús Pérez ◽  
Maria Betiana Angulo ◽  
Ana Honfi ◽  
Massimiliano Dematteis

Abstract Lessingianthus plantaginoides (Vernonieae, Asteraceae) is a small natural tetraploid shrub that inhabits rocky highlands from South America. The population studied inhabits and covers an extensive region of a private reserve with high local biodiversity and animal and plant endemisms. With the purpose of providing insights into the cyto-embryology of this tetraploid species, the aims of this study were: to perform an ontogenetic study of the male and female gametophytes of L. plantaginoides; to carry out detailed meiotic analysis and evaluate the fertility of this species; to document and provide highlights on taxonomic implications of their reproductive aspects. Lessingianthus plantaginoides presented the following male and female gametophyte traits: dicotyledonous type of anther wall development, tetrahedral tetrads, 3-celled mature pollen grains; development of the chalazal megaspore, monosporic embryo sac and Polygonum type of megagametophyte development. The meiotic behavior was regular, the spores were tetrads of equal size and the pollen grains were highly stainable. Lessingianthus plantaginoides is a highly diplodized autotetraploid that reproduces sexually and has high meiotic regularity; which is apparently responsible for its colonization potential. It now seems certain that polyploid speciation plays a significant role in the establishment and diversification of the genus.


1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
RLN Sastri

The floral morphology and development of the gametophytes in Berberis umbellata and Mahonia leschenaultii have been studied. All the perianth members have three traces each in B. umbellata while in M. leschenaultii the members of the outer three whorls have five veins each and those of the fourth three veins each. The vascular supply for the inner two whorls of perianth and the stamens arises as conjoint traces. The wall of the gynoecium is traversed by numerous bundles with some concentrated in the placental region. The dorsal and ventral bundles are differentiated in M. leschenaultii but not in B. umbellata. The tricarpellary interpretation of the gynoecium is shown to be unconvincing. The gynoecium is regarded as monocarpellary. The mature anther wall is five-layered including the epidermis, of which the innermost layer forms the tapetum of secretory type. The tapetal cells are four to eight-nucleate. The hypodermal wall layer develops into a fibrous endothecium in M. leschenaultii. In B. urnbellata, the endothecium develops U-shaped thickenings. Division of pollen mother cells is successive. Pollen tetrads are usually isobilateral. Mature pollen grains are three-colpate and two-celled. The ovule is anatropous, bitegmic, and crassinucellate. In B. umbellata, a rudimentary aril is formed as an outgrowth of the funiculus. The single hypodermal archesporial cell in the young ovule cuts off a parietal cell. Development of the embryo sac is of the Polygonum type. The synergids show filiform apparatus and are persistent. The antipodals are large and persistent in M. leschenaultii and ephemeral in B. umbellata. The relationships of the Berberidaceae (sensu Hutchinson 1959) to the Menispermaceae, Lardizabalaceae, and the Ranunculaceae (sensu lato) are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
María Carolina Cerino ◽  
Damián César Castro ◽  
Geraldina Alicia Richard ◽  
Eliana de Luján Exner ◽  
José Francisco Pensiero

The genus Gleditsia (Fabaceae) comprises woody shrubs and trees that grow in temperate and subtropical regions around the world. This genus is characterised by sexual polymorphism and functionally unisexual flowers. Gleditsia amorphoides is the southernmost species of the genus, and is widely used as a source of timber and derived products for industrial applications (galactomannans are extracted from its seeds and saponins are derived from its fruits). The species is endemic to the Chaquenean Forest of South America. It is described as morphologically androdioecious, with male and perfect flowers appearing on different plants. In the current study, we characterised floral morphology, experimentally tested the breeding system and analysed flower visitors. Results indicated that G. amorphoides staminate flowers produce viable pollen grains and that perfect flowers have a functional gynoecium and empty anthers, where pollen abortion occurs early in floral development. The species relies on outcrossing, which depends mainly on pollen carried by insect pollinators, to produce seeds and fruits. We conclude that G. amorphoides is functionally dioecious, with staminate and pistillate floral morphs.


1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
MW Moncur ◽  
DJ Boland

The important phases of floral development in E. melliodora from bud initiation to anthesis and style abscission are documented by means of scanning electron micrographs. Thirteen phases of bud development from first indication of operculum abscission to style abscission are presented, as well as the timing and duration of each phase. Anther dehiscence commences prior to flower opening and no pollen grains were observed on flowers 2 days after opening. Secondary transportation of pollen after deposition is possible. Nectar secretion did not commence until after pollen was shed and the stigma became receptive. Although individual flowers were protandrous, there was some overlap within a single inflorescence between pollen shed and the 'wet stigma' phase, suggesting that geitonogamy was possible. The style did not increase in length following anthesis, a common feature in Eucalyptus, leaving the stigma in close proximity with the anthers. There was a graduation in filament length from the outer to inner whorls. The innermost anthers produced the most pollen grains while the outermost were staminodal. There was considerable difference between the number of stamens (71-312), staminodes (0-83) and pollen grains per anther (643-1790) found in the six species examined. Stamen length in all species increased across the staminophore from 1.82-6.99 mm in the inner whorl to 4.84-12.61 mm in the outer whorl.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdoul Amir Rahnama ◽  
Esmaeil Rahkhodaei

Date palm is unisexual, being either male or female. Male and female flowers grow on buds called Spathe, which opens naturally when fully mature. It is easy to identify the male and female flowers. Under the method of manual pollination, pollen from a male flower is smeared over female flowers. The pollen variety and pollination time have important effects on date palm fruit set, yield and quality. This experiment was carried out to study the effect of date pollinizer variety and pollination time on fruit set, growth and development of Medjhol date palm variety, in date palm garden of date palm and tropical fruit research institute of Iran during three years from 2009 to 2011. The trail was randomized complete block design in factorial manner with three pollen variety as Ghaname, Vardy, and Samesmave, two pollination time as 1-3 days before or after spathe opening and four replication. The results showed that the Vardy pollen had significant effects and increased the fertility percent and fruit yield, rather than two other pollen varieties. The pollen variety had no significant effects on fruit quality as total sugar, acidity, and bricx. The pollination time before spathe opening significantly increased fertility percent, decreased fruit weight and date palm yield. Finally the pollen variety and pollination time interaction effects showed that, application of Vardy pollen from 1-3 days after spathe opening with the most production date palm yield, equal 19.9 kilogram per any date palm trees, so this treatment is the best and are recommended.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 536d-536
Author(s):  
Rina Kamenetsky

The influence of postharvest temperature on the flowering response of Eremurus was studied. The plants were harvested at four different stages of development and were separated into three groups. The first group was immediately exposed to 2 °C, the second group to 20 °C followed by 2 °C, and the third group to 20 °C followed by 32 °C and, subsequently, 2 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for concurrent morphological analysis of floral development. Application of 2 °C to the plants in the initial stage of floral development caused plant destruction and death, while the same treatment applied at the stage of full differentiation promoted normal flowering. Temperatures of 20 °C and, especially, 32 °C, significantly improved flowering of the plants harvested in the early stages of florogenesis, whereas the same treatment applied to the plants harvested at the end of flower differentiation did not affect the flowering process. A developmental disorder, which we term “Interrupted Floral Development” (IFD), was observed only in the plants harvested when the racemes were fully differentiated. This was probably caused by the very high air and soil temperatures that prevail in Israel during the summer. The extent of floral differentiation has a determinant role in subsequent scape elongation and flowering.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania P Silva ◽  
Fernando L Finger

ABSTRACT: This work describes ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) action on post-harvest shelf life of four development stages of nasturtium flowers. To reach this goal, we carried out three experiments. In the first and second experiments, we studied five ethylene (0; 0.1; 1; 10; 100 and 1000 μL/L) and three 1-MCP concentrations (0.25; 0.5 and 0.75 μL/L), respectively. In the third experiment, 1-MCP was followed by combined with ethylene (only 1-MCP; only ethylene; and 24 hours of exposure to 0.75 μL/L 1-MCP followed by 24 hours of exposure to 100 μL/L ethylene). All experiments had two control treatments, one keeping non-exposed flowers inside and another outside exposure chambers. Experiments were set in factorial design, in complete blocks at random, with four 10-flower replications each. Flower senescence was determined by a pre-established visual scale and by observing floral bud development. Ethylene dose above 10 μL/L induced flower wilting and premature senescence from the second floral development stage. Furthermore, higher concentrations of exogenous ethylene promoted irregular flower opening and/or morphological abnormalities in opened flowers. 1-MCP effectively extended post-harvest longevity of nasturtium flowers, independent of the concentration and even in the presence of exogenous ethylene.


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