Fig. 4.

Early developmental stages of pseudanthium ontogeny and formation and differentiation of male flowers in Neoguillauminia cleopatra (SEM). (a) Pseudanthium with five male elements (one in abaxial position removed), each subtended by a bract, which was removed during dissection. Each male element is flanked by two nectaries (asterisks). (b) Male element showing order of male flower initiation. Each flower is subtended by a bract, arrows pointing from the bract toward the subtended flower. The bract subtending the first initiated flower has been removed (asterisk). Central flower is formed first, and remaining flowers (2–9) are formed pairwise in rapid succession. (c) Older developmental stage with anthers of older flowers already formed. The orientation of the anther alternates; i.e., anthers of flowers 2 and 3 at a right angle to flower 1, anthers of flowers 4–7 at a right angle to flowers 2 and 3, and so on. (d) Female flower showing early formation of perianth with two larger lobes in transversal position (asterisks) and several smaller lobes in abaxial and adaxial positions. All parts of the perianth are already fused, as also seen in (e). Three carpels are formed. (e) Lateral view of (d) showing female perianth and two nectaries arising from the pseudanthium receptacle. (f) Tricarpellate female flower, perianth partly removed and ovary opened to reveal one ovule initial (asterisk). Bar = 1 mm in a, c; 400 μm in b, d–f. B, bract; C, carpel; F, female flower; M, male partial inflorescences; N, nectary; P, perianth.