ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess

Abstract Number: 4674
Poster No. = 605


COLOPHOSPERMUM MOPANE (CAESALPINIOIDEAE: DETARIEAE) FLOWERS ONLY HAVE TWO SEPALS: AN ONTOGENETICAL INVESTIGATION.


H. Krnger1, L. R. Tiedt2 and D. C. J. Wessels3, 1School for Env. Sci. and Dev., 2Lab. for Electron Microscopy, Potchefstroom Univ. for C.H.E., Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa, 3Dept. of Botany, Univ. of the North, Sovenga 0727, South Africa.


Colophospermum mopane (Kirk ex Benth.) Kirk ex J. Leonard is a member of the Crudia group (tribe Detarieae DC.). Floral buds are enclosed by the bract and four cream or white glabrous structures, conventionally regarded as sepals. The inner (adaxial and abaxial) structures often have acute apices, while the apices of the outer (lateral) structures are rounded. In this investigation it has been shown that the outer structures represent lateral bracteoles and that only two sepals are present. The flower is apetalous and no petal primordia are formed. The large number of stamen primordia (usually 20) are formed on an enlarged meristematic surface without any specific pattern of initiation. At initiation all stamen primordia are of the same size and separate whorls were not discernible. At this stage the meristematic surface becomes distinctly rectangular.

HTML-Version made 7. July 1999 by Kurt Stüber