Figure legends
Fig. 1. Dicyclophora persica . (a) The annual species growing across seasonal streamline basin, (b) An umbel with enlarged white peripheral ray flowers that centered on purplish black club-like organ (c) The uniform cage-like umbellets (large circles) and remnant of dried club-like organ (small circle), (c’) Side view of an umbellet with a ring of hairy staminate flowers (yellow arrow) centered on a sessile hairy fruit (black arrow).
Fig. 2. The study area of Dicyclophora persica in Ab-e Garm Genu, N Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan province, south Iran.
Fig. 3. The development of an umbel in Dicyclophora persica . (a) The umbel meristem fractionates centripetally involucral bracts (ib) and umbellets (umb). The center of umbel (yellow circle) is naked, (b) The peripheral umbellets enlarged whereas the inner ones start to initiate. Rarely, small segments are initiate in center of umbel (circle), (c) Peripheral umbellets fractionate floral meristems (fm) as unidirectional sequence from abaxial to adaxial, followed by incurving towards umbel center, (d) The floral primordia on inner umbellets formed as modified helical model. The umbel center is still naked, (e) It starts to bulge along with inception of floral organs in inner flowers and elongation in peripheral flowers (arrow). The head of club-like organ restricted by massive floral meristems, (f) Development of club-like organ as head (red arrow) and column (white arrow), (g) the mature club-like organ. Abbreviation, cl: club-like organ, fm: floral meristem, ib: involucral bract, ibr: involucellar bracteole, umb: umbellet.
Fig. 4. The development of an umbellet. (a) Two rings of unequal staminate flowers initiated. Peripheral floral meristem (pfm) is larger than inner ones (ifm). The center of umbellet is dome-shaped (yellow circle), (b) Umbellet fractionate floral primordia centripetally. All primordia are sessile, undifferentiated and unequal. The central primordium is the largest one, (c) It starts to initiate the floral organs late compared with peripheral floral meristems, (d) which is synchronous with those organs at inner floral primordia, (e) Synchronization of floral meristems, (f) An umbellets with two types of staminate flowers that centered on a mature fruit. Abbreviations: cf: central flower in fruiting, cfm: central floral meristem, if: inner flower in fruiting, ifm: inner floral meristem, pf: peripheral flower in fruiting, pfm: peripheral floral meristem.
Fig. 5. The development of a perfect flower. (a) An undifferentiated round-shaped floral meristem, (b) Floral meristem expands to opposite side, (c) 1st stamen (St1) initiated between two consecutive petals, (d) On opposite side, 3rd and 4th petals (P3-P3) initiated, overlapping with stamen (St2). Subsequently, 5th petal (P4) initiated, overlapping with with stamen (St3) at lateral side, (e) The last stamens (St4-St5) arise spirally, (f) Petals and stamens start to enlarge, become prominent (g) Carpel (c) initiation is synchronized with enlargement of the petals and stamens, (h) The cavity of the carpel enlarged along with the differentiation of stamens as filaments (red arrow) and spherical anthers, (i) Mature perfect flower with well-developed stylopodia (Sty) and ovules (Ov). Abbreviations, Ov: ovule, C: carpel, P: petal, St: Stamen, Sty: stylopodium.
Fig. 6. The development of a staminate flower. (a) An undifferentiated round-shaped floral meristem, (b) First, floral meristem expands to opposite side, become rhomboid, (c) then, expands at all sides. Petals initiate subsequently as clockwise direction, overlapping with 1st stamen (St1), (d) Petal primordia become prominent, (e) 2nd stamen (St2) initiated, overlapping with 3rd and 4th petals (P3-P3). The initiation of 3rd stamen (St3) overlapped with 5th petals (P1-P4), (f) The rest stamens (St4-St5) initiated at lateral sides of floral meristem, (g-i) Subsequent initiation of the sepals at the abaxial side is synchronous with elongation of the floral organs, (j-k) Carpel (c) start to initiate along with differentiation of stamens into filaments and spherical anthers (red arrow), (6l-m) conical and bilabiate stylopodia, (n) longitudinal section of the carpels indicating that ovaries are empty and without any ovules remnants.
Abbreviation: see Fig. 5.