Symplocos wikstroemiifolia Hayata is one of the few morphologically androdioecious species in Symplocaceae. Although this species has been proposed as cryptically dioecious, little is known about its patterns of sexual expression in the field. We studied the breeding system and reproductive biology of S. wikstroemiifolia in Taiwan. Field investigations showed that anthers of most morphologicall...

Current phylogenetic sampling reveals that dioecy and an XY sex chromosome pair evolved once, or possibly twice, in the genus Asparagus Although there appear to be some lineage-specific polyploidization events, the base chromosome number of 2n = 2× = 20 is relatively conserved across the Asparagus genus. Regardless, dioecious species tend to have larger genomes than hermaphroditic species. Here...

During angiosperm evolution, innovations in vegetative and reproductive organs have resulted in tremendous morphological diversity, which has played a crucial role in the ecological success of flowering plants. Morindeae (Rubiaceae) display considerable diversity in growth form, inflorescence architecture, flower size, and fruit type. Lianescent habit, head inflorescence, small flower, and mult...