ORGAN INITIATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFLORESCENCES AND FLOWERS OF ACACIA BAILEYANA

Abstract

Inflorescence and floral ontogeny are described in the mimosoid Acacia baileyana F. Muell., using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. The panicle includes first‐order and second‐order inflorescences. The first‐order inflorescence meristem produces first‐order bracts in acropetal order; these bracts each subtend a second‐order inflorescence meristem, commonly called a head. Each second‐order inflorescence meristem initiates an acropetally sequential series of second‐order bracts. After all bracts are formed, their subtended floral meristems are initiated synchronously. The sepals and petals of the radially symmetrical flowers are arranged in alternating pentamerous whorls. There are 30–40 stamens and a unicarpellate gynoecium. In most flowers, the sepals are initiated helically, with the first‐formed sepal varying in position. Petal primordia are initiated simultaneously, alternate to the sepals. Three to five individual stamen primordia are initiated in each of five altemipetalous sectorial clusters. Additional stamen primordia are initiated between adjacent clusters, followed by other stamens initiated basipetally as well as centripetally. The apical configuration shifts from a tunica‐corpus cellular arrangement before organogenesis to a mantle‐core arrangement at sepal initiation. All floral organs are initiated by periclinal divisions of the subsurface mantle cells. The receptacle expands radially by numerous anticlinal divisions in the mantle at the summit, concurrently with proliferation of stamen primordia. The carpel primordium develops in terminal position by conversion of the floral apex.