Figs. 8–15. Light micrographs illustrating megasporocyte through four-nucleate female gametophyte stages in Platanus racemosa. All sections are longitudinal and oriented with chalazal end toward top of page. Scale bars = 10 µm. Figure Abbreviations: MSP, functional megaspore; N, female gametophyte nucleus; V, vacuole. 8. Megasporocyte. 9. Meiosis I (metaphase) of megasporocyte. 10. Early telophase of meiosis I of megasporocyte. Developing cell plate present (arrow). 11. Linear tetrad of megaspores with chalazal functional megaspore and three degenerative megaspores. 12. Functional megaspore polarized with nucleus toward micropyle and vacuole toward chalaza. 13. Two-nucleate female gametophyte just after mitosis. 14. Later two-nucleate stage. Female gametophyte has elongated, nuclei have migrated to micropylar and chalazal ends. Chalazal nucleus is positioned between large central vacuole and smaller chalazal vacuole. 15. Four-nucleate female gametophyte, structurally similar to two nucleate stage, but with one pair of nuclei at chalazal end, between vacuoles, and one pair at extreme micropylar end