Directed Movement of Latex Particles in the Gynoecia of Three Species of Flowering Plants

Abstract

The secretory matrix of the stylar-transmitting tract of angiosperms has been characterized as a nutrient medium for the growth of pollen tubes, acting to guide tubes to the ovules. When nonliving particles (latex beads) were artificially introduced onto the transmitting tracts of styles of Hemerocallis flava, Raphanus raphanistrum, and Vicia faba, they were translocated to the ovary at rates similar to those of pollen tubes. Direct observations were made on the movement of individual beads along the secretory epidermis in the style and ovary of Vicia faba. The transmitting tract may play an active role in extending tube tips to their destination in the ovary.