The effect of crossing distances and population subdivision on floral morphology inScleranthus annuus (Caryophyllaceae), a selfing annual

I used a discontinuous population ofScleranthus annuus (Caryophyllaceae) to study the effect of crossing distances on flower morphology of the progeny. Four types of progeny were produced by artificial selfing, crossing with pollen-donors from the same patch in the population, crossing with pollen from donors from other patches in the population and inter-population crosses. The size of gynoecium parts and 12 sepal characters in this petal-lacking species were significantly influenced by the type of cross and the patch in the population from where the seed-parents originated. All comparisons of progeny types except selfed vs progeny produced by within-patch crosses were significantly separated from each other, while all four seed-parent patches used were significantly separated in a multidimensional space.     

Aspects of floral structure and phenology in the genusConophytum (Mesembryanthemaceae)

The complex floral structure in the southern African genusConophytum (Mesembryanthemaceae; 77 spp.) is described in detail and assigned to three basic floral types, two of which can be divided into two subtypes. Correlations between structural features and phenological patterns are demonstrated and discussed in the family context as well as in relation to the systematic subdivision of the genus.     

A new taxon in the genusMoehringia (Caryophyllaceae)

The new taxonMoehringia intricata subsp.giennensis, from the calcareous mountains of the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula is described. A comparative morphological study with regard to the most closely related taxa, contributes information of leaf anatomy, seed and pollen morphology, ecology and distribution.     

NeueSilene-Arten (Caryophyllaceae) aus dem Gebiet der Flora Iranica

15 new species are described: Sect.Sclerocalycinae:S. farsistanica, S. stapfii. — Sect.Spergulifoliae:S. paktiensis. — Sect.Auriculatae:S. caroli-henrici, S. daënensis, S. gertraudiae, S. nizvana, S. oligophylla, S. persepolitana, S. pseudaucheriana, S. pseudonurensis, S. renzii, S. salangensis, S. sojakii. — Sect.Brachypodae:S. rasvandica. — All the new species are from Iran with exception ofS. paktiensis andS. parvanica which are from Afghanistan.

Florae Iranicae praecursores 46–60. — Praecursores praecurrentes in Pl. Syst. Evol.142: 239–246 (1983).     

Pollination ofDianthus gratianopolitanus (Caryophyllaceae)

Pollination ofDianthus gratianopolitanus was studied in a population of the Swiss Jura mountains. Pollinators of this plant species are reported here for the first time. The flowers were not only visited by butterflies as postulated in the literature, but also by diurnal hawkmoths (Macroglossum stellatarum) and by diurnal and nocturnal noctuid moths. — Nectar is sucrose-dominant, the sugar concentration is moderate but the amino acid concentration is high. Nectar characteristics correspond well with the syndrome ofLepidoptera-pollinated flowers. — Field observations and flower characters (colour, range of the calyx length) suggest thatDianthus gratianopolitanus is an intermediate species in the transition of butterfly to moth pollination. — Lack of reproductive success inDianthus gratianopolitanus can not be attributed to lack of suitable pollinators.     

Comparative floral anatomy and ontogeny in Magnoliaceae

Floral anatomy and ontogeny are described in six species of Magnoliaceae, representing the two subfamilies Liriodendroideae (Liriodendron chinese and L. tulipifera) and Magnolioideae, including species with terminal flowers (Magnolia championi, M. delavayi, M. grandiflora, M. paenetalauma) and axillary flowers (Michelia crassipes). The sequence of initiation of floral organs is from proximal to distal. The three distinct outermost organs are initiated in sequence, but ultimately form a single whorl; thus their ontogeny is consistent with a tepal interpretation. Tepals are initiated in whorls, and the stamens and carpels are spirally arranged, though the androecium shows some intermediacy between a spiral and whorled arrangement. Carpels are entirely free from each other both at primordial stages and maturity. Ventral closure of the style ranges from open in Magnolia species examined to partially closed in Michelia crassipes and completely closed in Liriodendron, resulting in a reduced stigma surface. Thick-walled cells and tannins are present in all species except Michelia crassipes. Oil cells are normally present. Floral structure is relatively homogeneous in this family, although Liriodendron differs from other Magnoliaceae in that the carpels are entirely closed at maturity, resulting in a relatively small stigma, in contrast to the elongate stigma of most species of Magnolia. The flower of Magnolia does not terminate in an organ or organ whorl but achieves determinacy by gradual diminution.     

Operculum development in theEudesmieae B eucalypts andEucalyptus caesia (Myrtaceae)

In theEudesmieae B eucalypts and inEucalyptus caesia, the perianth of the mature flower consists of a single, anatomically continuous, opercular structure that is crowned by the tips of the original free and separate calycine and corolline whorls. Ontogenetic and comparative evidence supports the hypothesis that this operculum is mostly corolline in composition, and that the calycine parts have been elevated distally onto the dorsal surface. In theEudesmieae B eucalypts this condition appears to be due to precocious initiation of the corolline primordia, followed by expansion and continuity of their growth centres which incorporates the areas at or below the base of the still differentiating calycine whorl. InEucalyptus caesia the corolline primordia are not precocious, but a similar situation is effected by a seemingly retarded increase in receptacle diameter relative to lateral expansion of the corolline growth centre(s). In these two examples the same final perianth form apparently derives from two different sets of growth processes which, nonetheless, result in the same allometric relationships within the developing flower. Although identical at maturity, the operculum form in these two taxa is best described in terms of convergence, rather than homology.     

Perianth development inAngophora and the bloodwood Eucalypts (Myrtaceae)

The petals ofAngophora flowers are compound structures consisting of two morphologically distinct components that develop along separate morphogenetic pathways. These two components are also evident in the corolline parts of the bloodwood eucalypts. In occasional flowers ofAngophora and some bloodwoods, several adjacent corolline primordia may become continuous due to interprimordial growth, but the petals are mostly free at anthesis. In other bloodwood eucalypt species all the primordia in the corolline whorl become continuous at some stage in development, resulting in an operculum that is anatomically unresolvable into its original petaline parts. The varying degrees of this continuity that are evident within individual trees (and even within single flowers) suggests that operculum formation is an epigenetic event that is determined by morphogenetic processes within the flower. It is suggested that these may relate to differing rates of growth in different regions of the bud.     

Notes on the capsule dehiscence inAcanthophyllum (Caryophyllaceae) and allied genera

The shape and the mode of dehiscence of the capsule had been regarded as good differential characters betweenAcanthophyllum and related genera.—Studies of these characters, including the shape of the ovary, in species ofAcanthophyllum, Diaphanoptera, Ochotonophila andScleranthopsis show, however, that they cannot be used as differential characters for the genusAcanthophyllum.Dedicated to Prof.K. H. Rechinger on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

臭越橘(杜鹃花科)的花部形态

对中国杜鹃花科特有种：臭越橘（Vaccinium foetidissimum H. Lév. & Vaniot）的花部形态特征进行了描述。基于新补充的花部特征,讨论了该种与其相似种的区别。     

Operculum development inEucalyptus clöeziana andEucalyptus informal subg.Monocalyptus (Myrtaceae)

Flowers ofEucalyptus clöeziana have two clearly distinct perianth whorls. The small free parts of the outer (calycine) whorl cease growth early and are lost from the flower; the parts of the inner (corolline) whorl become continuous laterally by confluence of growth centres and form an operculum in the mature flower. The stamens are inserted on a circumfloral buttress (staminophore) that is homologous to the adaxial corolline component inAngophora and the bloodwood andEudesmia eucalypts. Flowers ofMonocalyptus have only one perianth whorl, which is opercular. The stamens are similarly inserted on a circumfloral buttress. Developmental study does not provide conclusive evidence for either a calycine or corolline determination of theMonocalyptus operculum, but comparison with other eucalypt groups, includingE. clöeziana (the sister taxon), predicts an essentially corolline composition.     

向日葵MADS-Box基因HAM23-like克隆和表达分析

为了解MADS-box基因在向日葵(Helianthus annuus)花发育过程中的作用,采用RT-PCR技术克隆了1个MADS-box基因新成员HAM23-like,开放阅读框为831bp,编码276个氨基酸,相对分子量为30.52k D,理论等电点为9.42。系统发育分析表明,HAM23-like与拟南芥的AGL18聚于同一分支,具有较近的亲缘关系。qRT-PCR分析表明,HAM23-like基因在花和成熟果实(籽粒饱满期)中的表达量较高;HAM23-like在开花当天的雄蕊中的表达量最高;随着花的发育,HAM 23-like表达量逐渐升高,在开花后5 d (果实形成早期)达到最高表达水平。因此,推断HAM23-like基因可能与向日葵花器官后期发育和瘦果早期发育相关。     

Bemerkungen zur Cytologie einiger Arten der GattungSilene (Caryophyllaceae) aus Zentralgriechenland und Kreta

The chromosome numbers of several Greece species of the genusSilene L. from natural habitats are reported for the first time:S. sieberi, S. niederi, S. radicosa subsp.rechingeri, S. oligantha, S. skorpilii, S. schwarzenbergeri andS. fruticulosa. All species are diploid with 2n = 24 chromosomes, including 0, 2 or 4 SAT-chromosomes;S. niederi has B-chromosomes.

     

Multivariate and cladistic analyses of the purple-flowered species ofErysimum (Cruciferae) from the Iberian Peninsula

A taxonomically difficult purple-flowered group within the genusErysimum, restricted to the Iberian Peninsula, is analyzed by multivariate and cladistic analyses. 51 specimens have been scored for 14 characters. Both principal components and discriminant analyses provide support to the recognition of the five species considered by the author, namelyE. linifolium, E. lagascae, E. baeticum, E. popovii, andE. cazorlense. Cladistic analysis, using 7 characters resulted in a single most parsimonious cladogram containing no homoplasies. The pattern of morphologic divergence follows a clear NW.-SE. trend, which is congruent with the topology of the cladogram. This trend significantly affects growth-form as well as fruit characters, both providing the main grounds for species recognition. The different behavior and significance of several characters in both kinds of analysis is discussed. The co-occurrence of morphologically similar individuals differing in the flower color is discussed, too. Possible explanations for this phenomenon involve hybridization in a wide sense or, alternatively, rejecting the assumption of monophyly for the group.