Observations on megasporogenesis, microsporogenesis and development of female and male gametophytes of Tamarix chinensis(Tamaricaceace)

We did a series of studies on megasporogenesis, microsporogenesis and the development of female and male gametophyte of Tamarix chinensis by means of traditional paraffin wax sections. The relationships between floral bud size and development of stamen and pistil are also observed. The main results are as follows: Several rows of hypodermal archesporial cells differentiate in each lobe of young four-lobed anther. The wall of anther consists of five layers: epidermis, endothecium, two middle layers and tapetum from out to inside, which belongs to basic type. Tapetum cell is of secretory type. Cytokinesis of microsporocyte meiotic division is of simultaneous type and the tetrads are tetrahedral. Meiotic division of microsporocyte develops synchronously in each microsporangium of an anther. The pollen grains are three-colpate and two-celled at the dispersal stage. There is an unilocular ovary that contains three fused carpels in one flower and each ovary has 10~20 ovules. Ovules occur at the base of ovary, which is basal placentation. The ovule is bitegmic, crassinucellate and anatropous. The megaspore mother cell undergoes meiotic divisions, and the development of the embryo sac is of Fritillaria type. In mature embryo sac, antipodal cells are well developed. Early in floral bud, archesporial cells of anther differentiate earlier than that of ovule. When the stamen matures, the pistil matures either. They are nearly synchronous at this time.