1957} 



ANATOMY OF GUAYANA MUTISIEAE 



467 



FIG. 111. Gongylolepis bracteata (Maguire 27560), portions of flower drawn to show 

 venation. A, corolla; B, style; C, achene; D-H, sections of corolla base and achenes at 

 levels indicated. A, B, X 4.5; OH, X 9. 



also in Neblinaea) in that although the laterals unite beneath the very short si- 

 nuses of this structure, freely terminating "lateral" bundles are also present 

 further down, branching from the two central veins at the same level as the 

 division of laterals below sinuses beside the two separate lobes. It is possible, 

 therefore, to interpret this condition as a reflection of the vascular system of the 

 actinomorphic corolla which is generally assumed to be ancestral to the zygo- 

 rnorphic condition. Further emphasizing a possibly primitive configuration, 

 median bundles are often present for varying distances in the lobes of this 

 species. In the tubular portion of the corolla, only five bundles, together with 

 their associated stamen traces, are present. Stamen bundles unite with these 



