Male and Female Gametophyte Development of Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.)

'Berel' is a blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) cultivar selected in Russia. In this work we describe the development of the anther wall, tapetum and male and female gametophytes of 'Berel' by utilizing microscopy. Microspores after meiosis finally turned into three-cell mature pollen grains. Tapetal layers of blue honeysuckle belong to amoeboid tapetum, which initiates dissolution when microspores formed after meiosis, continues to decompose during the formation of binuclear pollen grains, and is basically absorbed in the stage of binuclear or three-nucleus pollen grains; at the same time, the middle layer disappears and exine is thickened and fiberized. Each nucellus only differentiates one archesporial cell. The female gametophyte is a polygonum-type embryo sac. Usually 20 ovules can be found in each ovary. Ovules in the middle part of the ovary need 9 days to develop from macrospore mother cell stage to mature embryo sac stage.