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Andromonoecy and club-like organ development in the annual endemic Iranian Dicyclophora persica (Apiaceae)
  • Mozafar Bagherzadeh Homaee,
  • Yousef Ajani
Mozafar Bagherzadeh Homaee
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Yousef Ajani
Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Department of Botany, Tehran, Iran. P.O.Box: 13185-116.

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Species of Apiaceae despite uniform floral structure show great variation in floral morphs and sexual distribution. In the present study, ontogeny of the diclinous flowers within “cage-like” inflorescence of the andromonoecious Dicyclophora persica Boiss., studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in order to recognize whether they follow the same ontogenetic processes. The development of interesting unusual club-like organ in center of the umbel, furthermore, studied. The floral organs in diclinous flowers initiated from the common sectorial group-like primordia. Petals initiated as clockwise direction and stamens as modified helical pattern. Perfect flowers, despite sepal suppression, synchronized with staminate flowers in initiation of petals, stamens and carpels. In staminate flowers, in turn, two prominent sepals arise subsequently after initiation of stamens. Only in late stages, ovules get aborted. The club-like organ initiated from a naked receptacle that has no resemblances to the umbellets or flowers. The prolonged spatial constrains imposed by massive staminate flowers are responsible for suppression of sepals and sessile status of perfect flowers. Considering the ovules suppression, staminate flowers may likely adopt to conserve the perfect flowers from exposing in extreme environmental conditions, but not as substitution for perfect flowers.
06 Aug 2023Submitted to Nordic Journal of Botany
09 Aug 2023Assigned to Editor
09 Aug 2023Submission Checks Completed
09 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
10 Aug 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
17 Oct 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Major
05 Feb 20242nd Revision Received
16 Feb 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor