Staminode appendage

Fig 3.11 Selected floral characters mapped on the backbone tree of Doyle and Endress (2010) with fossil Cohongarootonia hispida (PP53716) included. (A) Presence of inner staminodes. (B) Presence of androecial appendages. 

Taxon Number of fertile stamen Staminode whorls whorl Staminal appendages Number of sporangia Reference... 

It is demonstrated that the corona represents a complex structure, which is part corolla and part androecium, represented by two series of distinct staminodes. The argument that the flower is apetalous because of the strong resemblance and association of outer petaloid appendages to the stamen tube gains little support because of the initiation of petal lobes before the androecium and from the fact that petals and stamens are connected by a common stamen-petal tube, which is widespread in asterids. A floral developmental study of genera of Scytopetaloideae, Crateranthus and Astemnthos is expected to confirm the earlier initiation of the outer corolla before the centrifugal development of the androecium. 

The androecium is highly complex, consisting of an inner tier of fertile halfstamens alternating with staminodial appendages, an intermediate tier of erect staminodes and an outer tier of refiexed filiform staminodes. Two possibilities can explain the existence of paired half-anthers in the inner tier ... 

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