Ruozhu Lin1, Bei Cui1,2 and Wenxia Zhao1,*
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 285-293, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.07182
Abstract The flowers of the hemiparasitic family Loranthaceae are always subtended by a rimmed structure known as the calyculus. The origin and identity of the calyculus have been disputed for more than a century. Various hypotheses have been proposed, for example, an outgrowth of the axis, a reduced calyx, and a bracteolar (prophyllar) origin, but controversies remain. To obtain a plausible explanation of the origin of the calyculus, we investigated the flowers of Loranthus tanakae using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy to observe the entire developmental process of the floral parts. Our results show that bracts are not present in… More >
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