New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458 USA.
Am J Bot. 2003 Nov;90(11):1533-47. doi: 10.3732/ajb.90.11.1533.
Vochysiaceae are divided into two tribes on the basis of ovary structure (superior trilocular or inferior unilocular). The superior trilocular ovary has been considered basal in the family, and the term "pseudomonomerous" was used to indicate the presumed evolutionary derivation of the unilocular condition from the trilocular. However, recent evidence that Vochysiaceae are Myrtalean suggests that the superior ovary may be secondarily derived. In addition, published figures cast doubt on the interpretation of the putatively unilocular ovaries. To understand these features, floral ontogeny and anatomy were examined using scanning electron microscopy and serial sectioning. In all taxa examined, the ovary develops in an epigynous fashion, on a concave floral apex, supporting the hypothesis that the superior ovary is secondarily derived. Subsequent to initiation of the ovary, differential growth results in ovaries that are superior, inferior, or partly inferior in different genera. Sections of floral buds of the two unilocular genera, Erisma and Erismadelphus, show aborted locules in the latter but not in the former. The application of the term "pseudomonomerous" to both genera obscures this significant difference. The position of the placenta in the truly unilocular genus varies among species, suggesting a character transformation series from multilocular through intermediates to truly unilocular.
茜草科根据子房结构（上位三心皮或下位一心皮）分为两个族。上位三心皮子房被认为是该科的基部，术语“假单体”用于表示从三心皮到一心皮的假定进化起源。然而，最近的证据表明，茜草科是桃金娘科的一部分，这表明上位子房可能是次生衍生的。此外，已发表的资料对假定的心皮的解释提出了质疑。为了了解这些特征，使用扫描电子显微镜和连续切片法检查了花的胚胎发生和解剖结构。在所检查的所有分类群中，子房都是在上位的、在凹入的花顶端发育的，这支持了上位子房是次生衍生的假说。在子房开始发育后，不同的生长导致子房在上位、下位或不同属的部分下位。两个一心皮属，Erisma 和 Erismadelphus 的花芽切片显示，后者的心皮有退化的腔室，但前者没有。将“假单体”一词应用于这两个属掩盖了这一显著差异。真正一心皮属的胎座位置在不同种之间有所变化，表明从多心皮到中间到真正一心皮的特征转化系列。
