Evolutionary theory explains phenotypic change as the result of natural selection, with constraint limiting the direction, magnitude, and rate of response [1]. Constraint is particularly likely to govern evolutionary change when a trait is at perceived upper or lower limits. Macroevolutionary rates of floral-size change are unknown for any angiosperm family, but it is predicted that rates shoul...

The radiation of the angiosperms is often attributed to repeated evolutionary shifts between different pollinators, as this process drives diversification of floral forms and can lead to reproductive isolation. Floral scent is an important functional trait in many pollination systems but has seldom been implicated as a key mechanism in pollinator transitions. In this study, we suggest a role fo...

The outcomes of past research concerning the role of floral symmetry in plant-pollinator interactions are mixed. Field manipulations of plants, as well as experiments using artificial arrays, have found evidence for and against a direct relationship between the degree of floral symmetry and subsequent reproductive success. In this study, we test the hypothesis that deviations from perfect flora...

This study investigated the usefulness of floral characters as a potential indicator of breeding system in the Brassicaceae. Initially, pod set, seed set and pollen tube growth experiments were carried out to confirm the breeding systems of 53 lines representing 25 different cultivated and weedy species from the Brassicaceae. The results of the pod set tests clearly differentiated between self-...

In Arabidopsis, floral meristems arise in continuous succession directly on the flanks of the inflorescence meristem. Thus, the pathways that regulate inflorescence and floral meristem identity must operate both simultaneously and in close spatial proximity. The TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) gene of Arabidopsis is required for normal inflorescence meristem function, and the LEAFY (LFY), APETALA 1 (A...

Ziziphus jujuba Mill. is one of the most important fruit crops and has been cultivated in China for more than 4000 years. Z. jujuba fruit is rich in nutritional and medicinal values. Compared to other wood fruits, Z. jujuba is unique in its flowering and fruiting characteristics. Floral buds differentiation and formation of Z. jujuba is an essential process that affects yield. Z. jujuba ‘Jinsi ...

The FT/TFL1 gene family controls important aspects of plant development: MFT-like genes affect germination, TFL1-like genes act as floral inhibitors, and FT-like genes are floral activators. Gene duplications produced paralogs with modified functions required by the specific lifestyles of various angiosperm species. We constructed the transcriptome of the weedy annual plant Chenopodium rubrum a...

Alpinia genus are known generally as ginger-lilies for showy flowers in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and their floral morphology diverges from typical monocotyledon flowers. However, little is known about the functions of ginger MADS-box genes in floral identity. In this study, four AP1/AGL9 MADS-box genes were cloned from Alpinia hainanensis, and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and ro...

Small Shorea stenoptera Burck. (Dipterocarpaceae) trees of reproductive age growing in an arboretum in west Java were studied to determine the pattern of vegetative shoot development, the time and method of floral initiation and the effect of paclobutrazol on floral enhancement. Vegetative buds were enclosed by two stipules between which was a leaf primordium, a small axillary vegetative bud an...