Floral ontogeny and an interpretation of the inferior ovary inAgave parryi

摘要

A study of the histogenesis of the flower ofAgave parryiwas made using serial sections as well as three-dimensional views of dissected floral primordia. It is shown that floral ontogeny supports the appendicular interpretation of the inferior ovary ofAgave parryiin that the flower parts do not arise from a smooth, ring-like meristem located at the tip of the pedicel but, rather, the flower parts arise as separate primordia. This study corroborates an investigation by Kaplan which shows that ontogeny can be used to support, rather than contradict, floral vasculature in interpreting the appendicular nature of the inferior ovary.