The floral development of five species of
Talinum is studied. Each flower is surrounded by two involucral bracts. The perianth consists of five tepals initiated in a 2/5 phyllotaxis.
In all species studied a first whorl of 10–13 stamens is initiated, except in
T. napiforme where this whorl is reduced to five stamens. In multistaminate androecia, additional whorls develop centrifugally. In
T. paniculatum, T. portulacifolium and
T. napiforme the first stamens are initiated in pairs opposite the outer tepals. In several flowers of
T. paniculatum and
T. portulacifolium ten stamens are incepted in spiral sequence resembling diplostemony. Similar ontogenetic patterns are present in several
species of
Phytolacca. However, within the genus
Talinum the ontogenetic pattern of the firstly initiated stamens is not consistent with traditional diplostemony. In
T. triangulare the firstly initiated stamens are incepted in sectors on a ring meristem, resembling the early inception in several species
of
Anacampseros and
Portulaca. The nectaries are associated with the filament bases and can be defined as caducous nectaries of the staminal type. The
development of the tricarpellate, syncarpous gynoecium is very similar in all species studied; it is characterised by a leptate
carpel-form.
Key words Androecium - Floral nectaries - Floral ontogeny - Gynoecium - Portulacaceae -
Talinum