Morphology of Keteleeria Fortunei

Abstract

The following characters of the form in question warrant a genus Keteleeria, belonging to the Abietineae. 1. Ovulate strobilus.--(I) The cones are erect (text fig. 2); (2) the scales are persistent (text fig. 2); (3) the scale and bract are separate nearly to their bases (text fig. 3); (4) there is a single megaspore mother-cell (fig. 9). 2. Staminate strobilus.--(I) The staminate cones are borne in clusters on a fertile branch (text fig. 3); (2) there are 2 abaxial microsporangia on each sporophyll; (3) the pollen is winged (figs. 1-5). 3. Male gametophyte.--The pollen is shed in the 4-celled stage, consisting of 2 polar cells, the antheridial cell, and the tube nucleus(figs. 2-3). 4. Vascular anatomy.--(I) Resin ducts do not occur in the secondary wood except as traumatic responses (text fig. I) (II);(2) there are no ray tracheids nor are they "recalled by wounding'' (II). 5. Embryo.--(I) There is an extensive cotyledonary tube (figs. 15-20); (2) a central axis extends throughout the primary root (fig. 15). 6. Leaves.--(I) The leaves are spirally arranged on ordinary branches; (2) there are 2 very closely associated vascular strands and 2 marginal resin ducts (15). 7. Sieve tubes.--These present single interrupted rows of plate groups on the radial and oblique terminal faces. Paired proto-plasmic accumulations, one on either side of each plate, are connected by strands which penetrate small perforations in the intervening walls (figs. 6-8). The sieve tubes are more numerous on the oblique terminal faces, an advance toward the angiosperm condition. 8. Cotyledonary tube.--This is significant in connection with the theories of the origin of polycotyledony.