Ontogenesis of the winged oleaginous seeds of Magonia pubescens (Sapindaceae)

Secondary‐cell‐wall release: a particular pattern of secretion in the mucilaginous seed coat of Magonia pubescens

“…(Sapindaceae; “tingui” in Portuguese) rapidly develop a thick mucilage capsule when hydrated that forms soil pellets in the predominantly sandy substrate of the Brazilian Cerrado (neotropical savanna) during the heavy summer rains. Seed development and the chemical constituents of the mucilaginous layer in M. pubescens have been previously studied (Oliveira et al., , ), but neither the mucilaginous secretions nor their ecological roles have yet been investigated. Considering the economic potential of seed mucilages (Plachno et al., ; Phan and Burton, ) and the structural peculiarities of secretory cells (Haughn and Western, ; Kreitschitz and Gorb, ), numerous lines of investigation still need to be pursued.…”