A CONTRIBUTION TO THE EMBRYOLOGY OF CYPERUS ROTUNDUS L., SCIRPUS MUCRINATUS L., AND KYLLINGA MELANOSPORA NEES.
The anther is tetralocular and its wall consists of four layers: epidermis, endothecium, a middle layer, and the uninucleate tapetum. The endothecial cells develop characteristic fibrous thickenings. Microspore mother cells divide meiotically to form four nuclei. One of them grows in size and becomes the functional nucleus of the pollen grain while the three non-functional ones are pushed to the periphery. A cleavage furrow accompanied by a cell plate separates them from the functional nucleus. Similar walls, though less prominent, separate the non-functional nuclei from each other. The walls are comparatively distinct in Cyperus rotundus and Kyllinga melanospora.The ovule is anatropous, bitegmic, and crassinucellate. The inner integument forms the micropyle. An outgrowth from the funiculus gives rise to an obturator. The hypodermal archesporial cell divides to form a two-layered parietal tissue and a sporogenous cell. Embryo sac is of the Polygonum type. Double fertilization takes place.The embryogeny conforms to the Juncus variation of the onagrad type in Cyperus rotundus and Kyllinga melanospora and to the asterad type in Scirpus mucrinatus.The integuments each are two-layered. The inner becomes three- to four-layered at the micropylar end. Both of them ultimately fuse to form a thin testa. The thick pericarp also functions as testa.