2002 Volume 43 Issue 1 Pages 8-15
Zebrina pendula, a foliage plant which belongs to a family Commelinaceae, shoots out branches in summer, and its bract leaves* differentiate from a shoot apex in early autumn. We paid a special attention into the relationship between alternate phyllotaxis and inflorescence of Zebrina pendula.
First, it is possible to observe the mitotic cell division in the primordia of a shoot apex, if we take the base of the smallest leaf according to the alternate phyllotaxis before the bract leaves* are differentiated in late August. In addition, we clarified that the primordia of young buds are formed alternately in the similar manner to the young leaves, after bract leaves are differentiated in early September. Here we called the primitive buds series on the left hand l1, l2, l3,……ln and those on the right hand rl, r2, r3……rn, and also, we called the matured bud series on the left L1, L2 and those on the right R1, R2.
Thus, the authors found an effective method to observe the earliest developing process of reproductive cells including meiotic cell division by searching young buds in the swelling base of bract leaves before flowers are in bloom.
* : Two leaves covered buds in a shoot apex.
