Inferior Ovary Research Articles

Fossil Flowers of Fagales from the Kamikitaba Locality (Early Coniacian; Late Cretaceous) of Northeastern Japan

Fossil flowers and fruits of Archaefagacea futabensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Asamigawa Member of the Ashizawa Formation (early Coniacian) of the Futaba Group in northeastern Honshu, Japan, are described. Flowers are small and bisexual, with an inferior ovary and an epigynous perianth composed of six small triangular tepals. The androecium is composed of six stamens positioned opposite the tepals, and the gynoecium consists of a trilocular ovary with three persistent apical styles. A single seed may develop in one or more locules. Archaefagacea is linked to extant and fossil Fagales, including flowers of fossil Normapolles plants, by its floral structure. Archaefagacea provides the earliest evidence of floral structure among those Fagales (Fagaceae, Nothofagaceae, and extinct taxa) that fall outside the group of six extant families and related fossil Normapolles plants that constitute the core Fagales. It is also the first record of Fagales in the Late Cretaceous of eastern Eurasia.

Lovellea wintonensis gen. et sp. nov.- Early Cretaceous (late Albian), anatomically preserved, angiospermous flowers and fruits from the Winton Formation, western Queensland, Australia

A new anatomically preserved, permineralised fossil flower/fruit taxon, Lovellea wintonensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from upper Albian sediments of the Winton Formation, western Queensland. The flower/fruit has a cup-shaped receptacle with perianth and androecium borne on the rim of the cup and multiple carpels with inferior ovaries embedded in the receptacle wall, above which the styles are free. The long, tapering styles and spirally thickened, unicellular hairs that arise from the inner epidermis of the receptacle are directed towards the mouth of the cup ringed by stamens. The androecium comprises two whorls or series of stalked stamens with bisporangiate, valvate, introrse anthers; pollen is disulcate with a retitectate exine. Each carpel has a dorsal slit and one laterally attached seed with a bitegmic seed coat; the parenchymatous carpel wall is differentiated into exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp. The seed coat consists of a 2-layered testa, the inner layer composed of transfer cells with inclusions of tetragonal-shaped crystals, and a cuticular tegmen. The organisation and morphology of floral parts of the fossils is consistent with a relationship with the Laurales. Although familial relationships are uncertain, the character mosaic of the fossil flowers/fruits is more similar to Gomortega (Gomortegaceae) and, to a lesser extent, Tambourissa (Monimiaceae s.str.) than to other members of the order. The late Albian occurrence of Lovellea wintonensis predates oldest reported fossils of the Gomortegaceae. Cladistic analysis based on morphology indicates Lovellea as the sister group of all remaining Laurales excluding Calycanthaceae and Idiospermum.

Floral and Inflorescence Morphology and Ontogeny in Beta vulgaris, with Special Emphasis on the Ovary Position

In spite of recent phylogenetic analyses for the Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae complex, some morphological characters are not unambiguously interpreted, which raises homology questions. Therefore, ontogenetic investigations, emphasizing on 'bracteoles' in Atripliceae and flowers in Chenopodioideae, were conducted. This first paper presents original ontogenetic observations in Beta vulgaris, which was chosen as a reference species for further comparative investigation because of its unclarified phylogenetic position and its flowers with a (semi-)inferior ovary, whereas all other Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae have hypogynous flowers. Inflorescences and flowers were examined using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Floral development starts from an inflorescence unit primordium subtended by a lateral bract. This primordium develops into a determinate axis on which two opposite lateral flowers originate, each subtended by a bracteole. On a flower primordium, first five tepal primordia appear, followed by five opposite stamen primordia. Simultaneously, a convex floral apex appears, which differentiates into an annular ovary primordium with three stigma primordia, surrounding a central, single ovule. A floral tube, which raises the outer floral whorls, envelops the ovary, resulting in a semi-inferior ovary at mature stage. Similarly, a stamen tube is formed, raising the insertion points of the stamens, and forming a staminal ring, which does not contain stomata. During floral development, the calyces of the terminal flower and of one of the lateral flowers often fuse, forming a compound fruit structure. In Beta vulgaris, the inflorescence is compound, consisting of an indeterminate main axis with many elementary dichasia as inflorescence units, of which the terminal flower and one lateral flower fuse at a later stage. Floral parts develop starting from the outer whorl towards the gynoecium. Because of the formation of an epigynous hypanthium, the ovary becomes semi-inferior in the course of floral development.

Multiple Events of Dispersal and Radiation of the Tribe Miconieae (Melastomataceae) in the Caribbean

In the Caribbean region, the Melastomataceae are represented by about 450 species (from 28 genera), close to 400 of them endemic. The majority of these endemic species (approximately 330) belong to the tribe Miconieae, a monophyletic group characterized by flowers with inferior or partly inferior ovaries that develop into baccate fruits, stamens with no or only poorly developed connective appendages, and the absence of megastyloids and imbricate bracts at the base of the flowers. A phylogenetic analysis of 460 accessions from 450 species of the tribe Miconieae, including 139 present in the Antilles (103 of these endemic), was performed based on nuclear (nrITS) and plastid (ndhF) DNA sequence data. This analysis shows that most of the Caribbean endemics are the product of five radiation events: (1) a clade containing the Caribbean endemic (or near-endemic) genera Pachyanthus, Calycogonium, Tetrazygia and Charianthus, as well as a few representatives of Miconia and Leandra. (2) The genus Mecranium. (3) The Caribbean species of Miconia section Chaenopleura (which are probably not the sister group of Andean Chaenopleura). (4) The Greater Antillean species of Clidemia and Ossaea (including Sagraea). (5) The Lesser Antillean representatives of Clidemia. Caribbean endemics that are more closely related to mainland species, rather than other Caribbean species are rare, and these often are segregates of widespread continental species. Because of a lack of resolution at the base of several clades, it is currently not possible to determine which mainland groups are the closest relatives of these Caribbean endemics, thus preventing us from establishing unequivocally the geographical origins of these species.

Estudo taxonómico de plantas do jardim botânico tropical: Dicotiledóneas dialipétalas de ovário ínfero

In the “Jardim Botânico Tropical” (JBT), former “Jardim-Museu Agricola Tropical”, a valuable collection of plants, mainly of tropical and subtropical origin, lives and is preserved. The scope of the present work is the taxonomic study of biodiversity dialypetalous dicotyledones of inferior ovary which grow in that Garden. The orders of this studied group follow Melchior in A. Engler, Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien, ed. 12, published in 1964, with some considered adequate adaptations. The families, genera and species are presented in alphabetic sequence. The botanical description, phenologie, natural origin, JMAT location, common Portuguese names, some uses and some of interest notes are presented to each species and taxa below the species.

Cytinaceae are sister to Muntingiaceae (Malvales)

The holoparasitic family Cytinaceae (Cytinus and Bdallophyton) was previously shown to be allied with Malvales, however its closest photosynthetic ancestor was not determined. A molecular phylogenetic study was conducted using nuclear small‐subunit rDNA and three chloroplast genes (the latter missing from the holoparasites but included to stabilize the overall tree topology) using Cytinaceae and exemplars from all recognized families from an expanded Malvales. Using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods, Cytinaceae were resolved with strong support as sister to the newly described Muntingiaceae. Potential morphological synapomorphies include trichome types, mature pollen released as tetrads, inferior ovaries, intrusive parietal placentation with many ovules, and fruit type. Given that all Muntingiaceae are neotropical, it is likely that the ancestor of Cytinaceae arose in the New World and migrated to continental Africa prior to the separation of Africa from South America.

Floral Ontogeny of the Afro-Madagascan Genus Mitrasacmopsis with Comments on the Development of Superior Ovaries in Rubiaceae

Members of Rubiaceae are generally characterized by an inferior ovary. However, Mitrasacmopsis is cited in the literature as having a semi-inferior to superior ovary. It has previously been hypothesized that the gynoecial development of Rubiaceae with semi-inferior to superior ovaries takes place in the same way as in Gaertnera, one of the most commonly cited rubiaceous genera with a superior ovary. To test this hypothesis, a floral ontogenetic study of Mitrasacmopsis was carried out with special attention paid to the gynoecial development. Floral ontogeny and anatomy of Mitrasacmopsis were examined using scanning electron and light microscopy. At an early developmental stage, a concavity becomes visible in the centre of the floral apex simultaneously with the perianth initiation. A ring primordium surrounding this concavity expands vertically forming the corolla tube (early sympetaly). Stamen primordia develop inside the corolla. From the bicarpellate gynoecium only two carpel tips are visible because the ovary is formed by a gynoecial hypanthium. In the basal part of each carpel, a placenta primordium is initiated. Two septa divide the ovary into two locules. In each locule, the placenta becomes mushroom shaped and distinctly stalked. Eventually, the inferior ovary of Mitrasacmopsis develops into a beaked capsule. Only very late in the fruiting stage, the continuously expanding ovary is raised above the insertion point of the persistent calyx, changing the ovary position of Mitrasacmopsis from basically inferior to secondarily semi-inferior. Mitrasacmopsis follows an epigynous pattern of floral development. However, the presence of a prominent beak in the fruiting stage gives the whole ovary a semi-inferior appearance. This kind of secondarily semi-inferior ovary is shown to be different from the secondarily superior ovary observed in Gaertnera.

Cloning, Structural Characterization, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Flower MADS-Box Genes from Crocus (Crocus sativusL.)

Crocus (Crocus sativus L.) is a crop species cultivated for its flowers and, more specifically, for its red stigmas. The flower of crocus is bisexual and sterile, since crocus is a triploid species. Its perianth consists of six petaloid tepals: three tepals in whorl 1 (outer tepals) and three tepals in whorl 2 (inner tepals). The androecium consists of three distinct stamens and the gynoecium consists of a single compound pistil with three carpels, a single three-branched style, and an inferior ovary. The dry form of the stigmas constitutes the commercial saffron used as a food additive, in the coloring industry, and in medicine. In order to uncover and understand the molecular mechanisms controlling flower development in cultivated crocus and its relative wild progenitor species, and characterize a number of crocus flower mutants, we have cloned and characterized different, full-length, cDNA sequences encoding MADS-box transcription factor proteins involved in flower formation.Here we review the different methods followed or developed for obtaining these sequences involving conventional 5' 3' RACE, as well as newly developed methods from our group, named Rolling Circle Amplification – RACE (RCA-RACE) and its modification named familyRCA-RACE (famRCA-RACE). Furthermore, the characteristics of the protein structure and their common and specific domains for each type of MADS-box transcription factors in this lower nongrass monocot belonging to the Iridaceae family are described. Finally, a phylogenetic tree of all the MADS-box sequences available in our lab is presented and discussed in relation to other data from studies of species of the Iridaceae group and closely related families from an evolutionary perspective. The structural and phylogenetic analyses are based on both published and unpublished data.

Physeterostemon (Melastomataceae): a new genus and two new species from the Bahian Atlantic Forest, Brazil

A new genus, Physeterostemon, with two new species, P. fiaschii and P. jardimii, is described from southern Bahian Atlantic forest of Brazil. The genus can be distinguished from all other Melastomataceae by its 6‐merous and diplostemonous flowers, toothed and persistent calyx, inferior ovary and dry, capsular fruits. The androecium consists of stamens that are slightly unequal in size with connectives that are unappendaged or minutely ventrally bituberculate and not prolonged below the thecae but dorsally and apically thickened; the anthers are oblong and rounded apically in ventral view, slightly projecting backwards over the connective in lateral view, but with a single ventral pore.

Ivy (Hedera helixL.) Flower Nectar and Nectary Ecophysiology

The nectary of Hedera helix is situated above the inferior ovary and completely exposed to the external environment. It consists of parenchyma containing chlorophyll overlying vascular bundles with xylem and phloem. The nectar exudes from stomata. Nectary color varied from green to brown during the flowering period (mid‐September to early November). This change in color resulted from accumulation of anthocyanins in subepidermal layers of the parenchyma. Quantitative differences were observed in the photosynthetic pigments of nectaries and leaves. Their quantitative variations, associated with variation in environmental parameters (temperature and rainfall) during flowering, were different in the two organs: the quantity of photosynthetic pigments increased in leaves at the end of flowering, whereas an increase principally in β‐carotene was observed in nectaries, suggesting that the nectary protected the inferior ovary from sunlight. Nectar was produced in greater abundance but with lower sugar concentration at the start of flowering, but the total quantity of sugars it contained did not vary significantly during flowering. The relative concentration of sugars showed slight variations that were not associated with significant changes in pollinators, which were mainly bees and flies.

Floral nectar production and nectary anatomy and ultrastructure of Echinacea purpurea (Asteraceae).

In spite of the impressive species diversity in the Asteraceae and their widespread appeal to many generalist pollinators, floral-nectary ultrastructure in the family has rarely been investigated. To redress this, a study using Echinacea purpurea, a plant of horticultural and nutraceutical value, was undertaken. Nectar secretion of disc florets was compared with floral nectary ultrastructure taking into account nectar's potential impact upon the reproductive success of this outcrossing species. Micropipette collections of nectar in conjunction with refractometry were used to determine the volume and nectar-sugar quantities of disc florets throughout their phenology, from commencement of its production to cessation of secretion. Light, scanning-electron and transmission-electron microscopy were utilized to examine morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of nectaries of the disc florets. Florets were protandrous with nectar being secreted from anthesis until the third day of the pistillate phase. Nectar production per floret peaked on the first day of stigma receptivity, making the two innermost whorls of open florets most attractive to foraging visitors. Modified stomata were situated along the apical rim of the collar-like nectary, which surrounds the style base and sits on top of the inferior ovary. The floral nectary was supplied by phloem only, and both sieve elements and companion cells were found adjacent to the epidermis; the latter participated in the origin of some of the precursor cells that yielded these specialized cells of phloem. Companion cells possessed wall ingrowths (transfer cells). Lobed nuclei were a key feature of secretory parenchyma cells. The abundance of mitochondria suggests an eccrine mechanism of secretion, although dictyosomal vesicles may contribute to a granulocrine process. Phloem sap evidently is the main contributor of nectar carbohydrates. From the sieve elements and companion cells, an apoplastic route via intercellular spaces and cell walls, leading to the pores of modified stomata, is available. A symplastic pathway, via plasmodesmata connecting sieve elements to companion, parenchyma and epidermal cells, is also feasible. Uncollected nectar was reabsorbed, and the direct innervation of the nectary by sieve tubes potentially serves a second important route for nectar-sugar reclamation. Microchannels in the outer cuticle may facilitate both secretion and reabsorption.

Phylogeny of the Cucurbitales based on DNA sequences of nine loci from three genomes: Implications for morphological and sexual system evolution

The Cucurbitales are a clade of rosids with a worldwide distribution and a striking heterogeneity in species diversity among its seven family members: the Anisophylleaceae (29–40 species), Begoniaceae (1400 spp.), Coriariaceae (15 spp.), Corynocarpaceae (6 spp.), Cucurbitaceae (800 spp.), Datiscaceae (2 spp.), and Tetramelaceae (2 spp.). Most Cucurbitales have unisexual flowers, and species are monoecious, dioecious, andromonoecious, or androdioecious. To resolve interfamilial relationships within the order and to polarize morphological character evolution, especially of flower sexual systems, we sequenced nine plastids ( atpB, matK, ndhF, rbcL, the trnL-F region, and the rpl20–rps12 spacer), nuclear (18S and 26S rDNA), and mitochondrial ( nad1 b/c intron) genes (together ∼12,000 bp) of 26 representatives of the seven families plus eight outgroup taxa from six other orders of the Eurosids I. Cucurbitales are strongly supported as monophyletic and are closest to Fagales, albeit with moderate support; both together are sister to Rosales. The deepest split in the Cucurbitales is that between the Anisophylleaceae and the remaining families; next is a clade of Corynocarpaceae and Coriariaceae, followed by Cucurbitaceae, which are sister to a clade of Begoniaceae, Datiscaceae, and Tetramelaceae. Based on this topology, stipulate leaves, inferior ovaries, parietal placentation, and one-seeded fruits are inferred as ancestral in Cucurbitales; exstipulate leaves, superior ovaries, apical placentation, and many-seeded fruits evolved within the order. Bisexual flowers are reconstructed as ancestral, but dioecy appears to have evolved already in the common ancestor of Begoniaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Datiscaceae, and Tetramelaceae, and then to have been lost repeatedly in Begoniaceae and Cucurbitaceae. Both instances of androdioecy ( Datisca glomerata and Schizopepon bryoniifolius) evolved from dioecious ancestors, corroborating recent hypotheses about androdioecy often evolving from dioecy.

The development of the superior ovary inTetraplasandra(Araliaceae)

Tetraplasandra is a small Hawaiian genus of seven species with remarkable diversity in ovary position, ranging from inferior to completely superior. Tetraplasandra gymnocarpa is the only member of the Araliaceae with a fully superior ovary. A comparative study of floral anatomy and development in superior and inferior ovary species of Tetraplasandra revealed that the superior ovary in T. gymnocarpa is unusual in that it develops within an epigynous ground plan. During the course of development, the ovary changes from inferior to secondarily superior primarily by an upward expansion of the ovary from the insertion point of the perianth and androecium to the ovary apex. The superior ovary of T. gymnocarpa, evident in late ontogeny, is a modified inferior ovary; thus it is not structurally homologous to a truly superior ovary. The adaptive significance of the switch from inferior to superior ovary is reexamined. A recent phylogeny of Tetraplasandra and the biogeography of the extant species provide evidence that the change in ovary position may be associated with a shift in pollination strategy that may have occurred as recently as 2.6 million years ago.

A preliminary phylogeny of the tribe Miconieae (Melastomataceae) based on nrITS sequence data and its implications on inflorescence position

Miconieae is the most diverse tribe of Melastomataceae, with 30 genera and over 2200 species. The tribe is characterized by fleshy fruits and partially to totally inferior ovaries. To test monophyly of the tribe and assess phylogenetic relationships within it, sequence data from nrITS were gathered and analyzed for 110 taxa in Miconieae and 32 putative outgroups. The tribe Miconieae is not resolved as monophyletic, but rather composed of two distinct clades: one composed of the cauliflorous genera Henriettea, Henriettella, Loreya and Bellucia, and a second clade with all other taxa in Miconieae, sister to a polytomy that includes representatives from tribes Merianieae and Blakeeae. Terminal inflorescences are optimized as basal within Miconieae, with lateral inflorescences evolving in at least four different instances. Cauliflory does not appear to be derived from truly axillary inflorescences; instead it seems to have evolved independently. The terminal–flowered genera Tococa, Conostegia, Tetrazygia, Anaectocalyx, Charianthus, Calycogonium, and Leandra pro parte seem to be derived from within the large genus Miconia, as is Clidemia, a genus with both axillary inflorescences and terminal inflorescences that are deflexed to a lateral position by an axillary branch. Maieta and Necranium, both with axillary inflorescences, are resolved as derived from within Clidemia.

INTERRELATION OF CURING AND BOTANY IN VANILLA (VANILLA PLANIFOLIA) BEAN

INTERRELATION OF CURING AND BOTANY IN VANILLA (VANILLA PLANIFOLIA) BEAN

Reevaluating the Evolution of Epigyny: Data from Phylogenetics and Floral Ontogeny

A long‐standing perspective of many botanists has been that there is a unidirectional trend in the evolution of ovary position from superior to inferior and that reversals are rare if at all possible. Recent studies that formally investigate the problem of gynoecial diversification in a rigorous phylogenetic context demonstrate that the evolution of ovary position is more complex and dynamic than this traditional view suggested. It is well known that a hypogynous ground plan characterizes a vast majority of angiosperms having superior ovaries and that within a hypogynous ground plan, flowers with inferior ovaries can be produced by a developmental plan termed receptacular epigyny. However, most angiosperms with inferior ovaries have an appendicular‐epigynous ground plan in which a distinctive concavity appears in the center of the floral apex during perianth initiation. Recent investigations have shown that a diverse array of ovary positions ranging from completely inferior to what superficially appear to...

Endressianthus, a New Normapolles‐Producing Plant Genus of Fagalean Affinity from the Late Cretaceous of Portugal

New Normapolles reproductive structures are described from two Late Cretaceous localities, Mira and Esgueira (Olho de Agua), in the Beira Litoral region of western Portugal. They are assigned to a new genus, Endressianthus, containing two new species, Endressianthus miraensis and Endressianthus foveocarpus. The new genus is based on several small inflorescence fragments with cymose branching and dichasial inflorescence subunits bearing either pistillate or staminate flowers, as well as on numerous isolated stamens and fruits. The pistillate flowers have an inferior ovary and minute, acicular tepals. The gynoecium is bicarpellate and syncarpous. In the fruiting stage, the stigmatic area on top of the ovary is seen as an elongate slit that is covered by stiff simple trichomes. Fruits are nuts with one or two locules and one or two seeds. The staminate flowers consist of four stamens with short filaments and elongate tetrasporangiate anthers and apparently a whorl of small, thornlike tepals. Typically, only one to three stamens develop into maturity while the other stamens in the flower abort. Pollen grains in situ show close similarity to dispersed pollen of the genus Interporopollenites. They are oblate with triangular equatorial contour, rounded protruding germinals, three endopores and six exopores, and a distinct arcus that interconnects the germinals. Organization of the inflorescence and flowers as well as the structure of the pollen indicates that this new Normapolles flower is of Fagalean affinity. The newly described taxon is apparently particularly close to members of the Betulaceae and may represent an extinct lineage at the root of the Betulaceae.

Divisestylus gen. nov. (aff. Iteaceae), a fossil saxifrage from the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey, USA

Fossilized flowers and fruits from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian, ca. 90 million years [my] before present) Raritan Formation of New Jersey are described as the new genus Divisestylus with two species, D. brevistamineus and D. longistamineus. The fossils are fusainized and three-dimensionally preserved. Morphological characteristics suggest affinities with extant Saxifragaceae and Iteaceae, two closely related families in Saxifragales. Similarities include a pentamerous perianth, calyx fused below into a hypanthium with free sepal lobes above, haplostemonous androecium with stamens situated opposite the calyx lobes, inferior ovary, bicarpellate gynoecium, numerous ovules on axile placentas, conspicuous intrastaminal nectary ring, and capsulate fruit opening apically. The unique fusion of the gynoecium, with carpels and stigmas fused but styles free, indicates closer affinities with extant Iteaceae, whereas other characters, such as basifixed anthers in D. brevistamineus, tricolpate and striate pollen grains, and anomocytic stomata, indicate closer affinities to Saxifragaceae. Cladistic analyses utilizing molecular data from a previously published analysis and morphological data as well as morphological data alone demonstrate the fossils share a more recent common ancestor with Iteaceae than Saxifragaceae, thereby making Divisestylus the oldest fossils known with clear affinities to Iteaceae.

Floral Evolution in Chloranthaceae: Implications of a Morphological Phylogenetic Analysis

Chloranthaceae have extremely simple flowers of three distinct types: unisexual and naked (Ascarina, male Hedyosmum), unisexual with three tepals (female Hedyosmum), and bisexual and naked with one stamen or a lobed androecium (Sarcandra, Chloranthus). Their long fossil record stimulated speculation that they represent an alternative prototype for the angiosperm flower, but molecular analyses exclude Chloranthaceae from the basal ANITA grade and imply that their flowers are reduced rather than primitive. However, Chloranthaceae may belong just above the ANITA grade, and if so, some of their features (such as ascidiate carpels) may be ancestral for angiosperms. Our morphological cladistic analysis of living and fossil Chloranthaceae confirms molecular evidence that Hedyosmum is sister to other Chloranthaceae and Ascarina is sister to Sarcandra and Chloranthus. The reduced perianth of Hedyosmum appears to be ancestral; its inferior ovary position may be ancestral or derived but had already evolved in relate...

A new interpretation of floral morphology in Garrya (Garryaceae)

AbstractPrevious descriptions of Garrya (Garryaceae) floral morphology are inconsistent. Anatomical studies have long confirmed that the pistillate flowers possess an inferior ovary. Descriptions of the staminate flowers sometimes describe a vestigial superior ovary; other authors report no such structure. New observations of staminate flowers confirm the presence of an intrastaminal structure. I hypothesize that the structure previously interpreted as a vestigial ovary is, in fact, a vestigial nectary disc. Thus the staminate flowers cannot be considered hypogynous and do not contradict the interpretation of the pistillate flowers as epigynous. This observation resolves the paradox of contrasting floral form in the pistillate and staminate flowers.