Abstract

The occurrence of polyembryony was investigated in 75 woody species of the Cerrado in central Brazil and the xerophilous Caatinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil. Fourteen species showed polyembryony, a type of anomalous angiospermous reproduction. Polyembryony is reported for the first time for nine genera, Astronium, Byrsonima, Cariniana, Copaifera, Hancornia, Magonia, Myracrodruon, Tabebuia, and Tapirira. The positive correlation found between polyembryony, sexual reproduction, and apomictic processes suggests that a number of angiospermous species may make regular use of multiple breeding systems.

Highlights

  • Flowering plants reproduce through sexual and asexual processes

  • This study aims at documenting polyembryony in neotropical Brazilian trees

  • Polyembryony was recorded in 14 arboreal species in 12 angiosperm families, i.e. close to 20 per cent of the species examined (Table 2)

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Summary

Introduction

Flowering plants (angiosperms) reproduce through sexual (amphimictic) and asexual (apomictic) processes. Apomixis (asexual seed development or agamospermy, with three main mechanisms, apospory, diplospory, and adventitious embryony), polyspory (bispory and tetraspory), and polyembryony (the formation of more than one embryo per ovule) are the three most common forms of angiospermous anomalous reproduction (Carman 1997). A number of recent studies showed the existence of apomixis in shrubs and trees of Cerrado (Oliveira et al 1992; Saraiva et al 1996; Goldenberg & Shepherd 1998), the rutaceous treelet Galipea jasminiflora in the state of São Paulo (Piedade & Ranga 1993), as well as the melastomaceous tree Henriettea succosa in a remnant of neotropical forest near the city of Recife (Melo & Machado 1996). Research on polyembryony in woody species from the Brazilian neotropics has lagged behind. This study aims at documenting polyembryony in neotropical Brazilian trees

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