Male and hermaphrodite flowers in the alpine lily Lloydia serotina

Abstract

In perennial species that produce only one flower per individual each year, androdiœcy (coexistence of genetic male and hermaphrodite individuals) may be difficult to distinguish from andromonœcy (male and hermaphrodite flowers on the same plant). We show that the alpine lily, Lloydia serotina Rchb., produces functionally male and hermaphroditic flowers. Mean male frequency in 11 populations in the French Alps was 48.5%, ranging from 15.5 to 67.5%. Male flowers do not produce more pollen nor sire more seeds per flower in controlled pollinations than hermaphrodite flowers. Male floral scapes were consistently shorter than those of hermaphrodites. Out of several thousand observed floral scapes, four had two flowers, all with a terminal hermaphroditic flower and an axillary male one. Among 107 bulbs transplanted in pots in 1996, eighteen expressed a different sexual phenotype in 1999 or 2000, and one hermaphrodite produced two flowers of different sexes in 2000. Together, these results suggest that L. serotina is andromonœcious throughout its lifetime.Key words: Lloydia serotina, andromonœcy, male reproductive success, Liliaceae.