Morphology and anatomy of the flower of <em>Ocotea puberula</em> (Rich.) Nees (Lauraceae)

Abstract

The morphology and anatomy of the flower of Ocotea puberula (Rich.) Nees (Lauraceae) are studied in the secondary forest of Maringá, state of Paraná, Brazil, a critical region with less than 1% of its area covered by forests. The study also consists of observations about anthesis and pollination of the species. The anthesis is diurnal and the flower may be visited by insects belonging to the Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Thysanoptera and Hemiptera orders. The tepals have simple epidermis and homogeneous parenchymatous mesophyll. The nectaries are globose, parenchymatous and the terminal branches closest to the nectary consist principally of phloem. The anthers have four pollen sacs, endothecium, two or three middle layers and secretory tapetum. The gynoecium has stigma with uni or bicellular epidermic papillae, simple ovary wall and anatropous ovule with two integuments. The female flowers have sterile anthers and the male flowers have pistilode, which characterize typically dioecious species.