Magonia pubescens A.St.-Hil. (Dodonaeaeae, Sapindaceae) is a monoecious species exhibiting two floral morphs, namely staminate flowers, with gynoecium reduced to a pistillode, and morphologically hermaphrodite but functionally pistillate flowers. It presents the basic type of antheral wall development. Microsporogenesis is normal, forming tetrahedral and decussate tetrads. Anatomical differences in anthers between floral morphs become visible at the stage of callose wall degradation and release of tetrads. In staminate flowers, the endothecium develops fibrous thickening, and the two middle layers, the tapetum and the parenchymal septum that separates both locule, are degraded. At dehiscence, permanent calymmate tetrads are released. Magonia is the only genus of the family with this type of pollen unit. In pistillate flowers, the endothecium exhibits fibrous thickening only in three to five cells on the dorsal loculus, and only the inner middle layer collapses. The septum that separates both locules remains unaltered, the stomium is non-functional, mature anthers are indehiscent and show collapsed tetrads. In staminate flowers, the gynoecium is reduced to a tricarpellar pistillode, trilocular, with ovules that degenerate after megasporogenesis. In pistillate flowers, the gynoecium has a tricarpellary ovary, with six to eight ovules per carpel; they are campylotropous, bitegmic, mixed crassinucellate, and exhibit a well-developed obturator. The phylogenetic implications of these embryological characters are discussed in the context of the family.

Se estudió la esporogénesis y gametogénesis de flores estaminadas y pistiladas de Allophylus edulis (Sapindaceae). La anteras jóvenes son similares en ambos tipos de flores, comparten el tipo básico de desarrollo anteral; presentan epidermis, endotecio con células binucleadas, dos capas medias, y tapete de tipo secretor, con células binucleadas. La microsporogénesis es normal, la división de las células madres de las micrósporas es simultánea y las tétrades son tetraédricas y decusadas. La antera madura en flores estaminadas presenta células epidérmicas adelgazadas a nivel del estomio y el endotecio con engrosamientos fibrosos. Se aprecia un único lóculo por teca por disolución del septo y los granos de polen son liberados al estado 2-celular, éstos son triporados o tetraporados. El gineceo está reducido a un pistilodio tricarpelar, trilocular, con un óvulo por lóculo. El óvulo degenera antes de que ocurra la meiosis. La antera madura de las flores pistiladas difiere anatómicamente de la de las flores estaminadas. El endotecio no desarrolla engrosamientos fibrosos, las capas medias y el tapete persisten, y el estomio no es funcional; las anteras son indehiscentes. El gineceo de las flores pistiladas, presentan ovario tricarpelar y trilocular. Cada lóculo contiene un óvulo hemianátropo, bitegumentado y crasinucelado, con obturador desarrollado; el megagametófito es de tipo Polygonum. Se discuten los resultados obtenidos en relación a lo conocido para la familia.

Fl oral nectaries are essential for plant reproduction but little is known about the relationship between these secretory structures and pollination system in cacti. To test phenotypic patterns in nectaries associated with pollination syndromes and/or with its pollinators, we selected from evolutionarily related genera Cleistocactus, Denmoza, and Echinopsis, a set of species with bird-pollinated fl owers and fl oral traits that may fi t with ornithophily or with sphingophily, and other set of sphingophilous species with moths as effective pollinator. Observations were made under light microscope and scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Nectaries are located at the base of the fi laments welded to the tube, forming a chamber. Th e nectary consists of the epidermis with distinctive features in each genus, a secretory parenchyma which may be vascularized and a non-secretory vascularized parenchyma. Anatomical variants observed in nectaries of different species are not consistent with the fl oral pollination syndromes neither with groups of pollinators. The basic structure of the nectar chamber is relatively conserved, a fact that may be explained by phylogenetic conservatism among the genera investigated. Our results revalue the role of anatomical traits for the systematics of Cactaceae.

We investigated the morphology and structure of the floral nectary in 11 Neotropical genera belonging to the subfamilies Dodonaeoideae and Paullinioideae (Sapindaceae) from southern South America representing three tribes (Dodonaeaeae, Paullinieae, and Melicocceae), in relation to other floral traits in species with contrasting morphological flower characteristics. Nectary organization was analyzed under light, stereoscopic, and scanning electron microscopes; Diplokeleba floribunda N.E. Br. was also observed using transmission electron microscopy. Our comparative data may contribute to the understanding of floral nectary evolution and systematic value in this family. The nectaries were studied in both staminate and pistillate flowers. All the floral nectaries are typical of Sapindaceae: extrastaminal, receptacular, structured, and persistent. The anatomical analysis revealed a differentiated secretory parenchyma and an inner non-secretory parenchyma; the nectary is supplied by phloem traces and, less frequently, by phloem and xylem traces. Nectar is secreted through nectarostomata of anomocytic type. The anatomical analysis showed the absence of nectary in the three morphs of Dodonaea viscosa flowers. Nectary ultrastructure is described in D. floribunda. In this species, the change in nectary color is related to progressive accumulation of anthocyanins during the functional phase. We found relatively small variation in the nectary structural characteristics compared with large variation in nectary morphology. The latter aspect agreed with the main infrafamilial groupings revealed by recent phylogenetic studies, so it is of current valuable systematic importance for Sapindaceae. In representatives of Paullinieae, the reduction of the floral nectary to 4-2 posterior lobes should be interpreted as a derived character state.