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Notes on the Floral Biology, Cytology, and Embryology of Campynemanthe (Liliales: Campynemataceae)

1987; Missouri Botanical Garden; Volume: 74; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2399324

2162-4372

Porter P. Lowry, Peter Goldblatt, Hiroshi Tobe,

Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions

Field observations of the endemic New Caledonian genus Campynemanthe (Liliales: Campynemataceae) indicate that at least C. ncocalcdonica and C. viridiJJora are strongly protandrous and have an unusual postanthesis recurving of the filaments.A chromosome number of w = 11 has been determined for both species from meiosis in pollen mother cells, these being first records for the genus and family.Endosperm formation in C neocaledonica is nuclear rather than helobial as In several genera of the putatively related Melanthiaceae.Campynemanthe Baillon comprises three embryology of Campynemataceae previously species restricted to the Pacific island of Nevv^ unknown.Caledonia.Goldblatt (1986) recently revised the genus along with the closely related, monotypic Tasmanian endemic Campynema Labill.and Floral BiologyRecent field observations indicate that Cawfollowed Dahlgren & Clifford (1982) and Dahl-pynemanthe neocaledonica {J^Qnd\t)Go\6b\di\X is gren & Lu (1985) in placing both genera in Cam-strongly protandrous.This phenomenon was inipynemataceae.The family, which appears to oc-tially observed in December 1985, in a populacupy an unspecialized position in Liliiflorae, is tion of about 100 individuals covering an area possibly most closely related to Melanthiaceae of ca.20 m^ located at 900 m on the Plateau de of the order Liliales (sensu Dahlgren & Clifford, Dogny {Lowry 3945).Many individuals were 1982) or Melanthiales (as recently circumscribed bearing both flowers and young fruits.The flowby Dahlgren et al., 1985).Campynemataceae are ers exhibited discrete male and female phases of distinguished from most other Liliales by their sexual expression.In the initial, male phase the small greenish flowers with persistent and ac-straight filaments are erect to ascending and are crescent tepals, partly inferior ovaries, and free usually twisted slightly counterclockwise so that stylodia.The embryology of both genera of Cam-the oblong to ovate anthers alternate with the pynemataceae is of the basic type for the mono-tepals (Fig. la).During this phase the three small cots (Dutt, 1970; Dahlgren & Lu, 1985), except stylodia are erect and closely appressed, forming that the endosperm development is now known a short beak, with the undeveloped adaxial stigto be nuclear, a derived condition.matic surfaces unexposed.Following abscission We report here some observations on the floral of the anthers, the persistent filaments become biology of two species of Campynemanthe, in-nearly spreading to horizontal and twist further eluding the occurrence of protandry and an un-(Fig.lb).At this time the stylodia elongate conusual postanthesis behavior of the persistent fil-siderably and recurve to expose the whitish stigaments.We also record the first chromosome matic surfaces.counts for the genus and family, and we observed While there appears to be no overlap in the nuclear endosperm development, an aspect of the sexual phases within a single flower, flowers of ' We thank J. H. Beach for many helpful suggestions on the manuscript, and J. K.