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How does axile placentation position ovules inside the ovary of many Lamiales plants?
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Lamiales
The lilac-pink flowers of the water mint attract butterflies and beetles.
In the order Lamiales, axile placentation positions ovules by attaching them to a central column within the ovary.1
This arrangement occurs in a compound pistil where the carpels are folded inward toward the center of the ovary. By developing along this central axis, the ovules are organized around the core of the ovary rather than along its outer walls. While many families within the Lamiales utilize this axile configuration, other members of the order exhibit different patterns, such as parietal placentation (where ovules are positioned along the ovary walls) or free-central placentation (where they are borne on a central stalk arising from the base of the locule).21