The number of ovules per flower varies over several orders of magnitude among angiosperms. Here we consider evidence that stochastic uncertainty in pollen receipt and ovule fertilization has been a selective factor in the evolution of ovule number per flower. We hypothesize that stochastic variation in floral mating success creates an advantage to producing many ovules per flower because a plan...

The distribution of carbon (C) into whole grapevine fruiting cuttings was investigated during flower development to determine the relative contribution of inflorescence and leaf photoassimilates in the total C balance and to investigate their partitioning towards other plant organs. A (13)C labelling procedure was used to label C photoassimilates by leaves and inflorescences in grapevine. Inves...

abstract genetic diversity of german chamomile (matricaria chamomilla l.) populations in iran was evaluated using morphological, agronomical and phonological characteristics and compared with three cultivars from germany, hungary and iran. in this experiment, statistical design of rcbd with three replications was used, sixteen quantitative traits were measured such as yield, flower number per p...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Investigations of inflorescence architecture offer insight into the evolution of an astounding array of reproductive shoot systems in the angiosperms, as well as the potential to genetically manipulate these branching patterns to improve crop yield and enhance the aesthetics of horticultural species. The diversity of inflorescences in the economically important family Oleac...

Epidendrum radicans is a food deceptive Batesian mimic of its sympatric model species Asclepias curassavica and Lantana camara. Theoretically, food deceptive orchids should be rare with small inflorescences (Johnson et al. 1993; Weins 1978) yet in San Luis, Costa Rica E. radicans grows in large monotypic stands with individuals sporting up to 12 open flowers per inflorescence. E. radicans might...

The first step in flower development is the generation of a floral meristem by the inflorescence meristem. We have analyzed how this process is affected by mutant alleles of the Arabidopsis gene LEAFY. We show that LEAFY interacts with another floral control gene, APETALA1, to promote the transition from inflorescence to floral meristem. We have cloned the LEAFY gene, and, consistent with the m...

Recent phylogenetic reconstructions suggest that axially condensed flower-like structures evolved iteratively in seed plants from either simple or compound strobili. The simple-strobilus model of flower evolution, widely applied to the angiosperm flower, interprets the inflorescence as a compound strobilus. The conifer cone and the gnetalean 'flower' are commonly interpreted as having evolved f...