The Perianth and the Taxonomic affinities of Eucalyptus cloeziana F. Muell

Abstract

External examination and microscopic sections of developing flower buds in E. cloeziana show the presence in very young stages of an outer (calycine) perianth whorl of four free sepals. In older buds no trace of this outer whorl can be detected and its minute scars are quite obscure. Thus the contention that E. cloeziana has only a single (corolline) operculum is refuted, and its suggested significance as a linking form between the Eudesmieae (with free persistent sepals) and the Renantherae (with an apparently single operculum) must be reassessed. Possible interpretations of the flower buds in the Renantherae are discussed.