Summary
Changes in fine structure in petals ofCucumis have been followed from an early green stage, through maturity, to a senescent dark yellow stage. The most noticable changes occur in the plastids. In chloroplasts of young green petals bundles of tubules appear in the stroma and increase in number as the thylakoids disappear. The entire plastid is eventually filled by groups of tubules orientated in different planes, separated by a few remaining swollen thylakoids. It is proposed that these “chromoplast tubules” represent a reorganization of the thylakoid material. In the mature chromoplast these tubules have become widely separated and randomly orientated, the whole plastid being approximately five times the volume of the chloroplast from which it was derived. Chromoplasts in senescent petals show a number of cytoplasmic invaginations.
Other cytoplasmic components show degredative changes throughout petal maturation corresponding to the senescence syndrome found in cucumber leaves and cotyledons.
The significance of the observations is discussed.
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One of us (M. S.) acknowledges receipt of a Science Research Council Studentship.
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Smith, M., Butler, R.D. Ultrastructural aspects of petal development inCucumis sativus with particular reference to the chromoplasts. Protoplasma 73, 1–13 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01286407
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01286407