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Floral structure of Cardiopteris (Cardiopteridaceae) with special emphasis on the gynoecium: systematic and evolutionary implications

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Abstract

Cardiopteris, a small herbaceous genus, had long been placed in its own family, Cardiopteridaceae. However, the family was recently broadly circumscribed to include more genera in Aquifoliales. To better understand the morphological relationships of the genus and the family, I studied the floral anatomy and development of Cardiopteris using C. quinqueloba. As has been previously described, flowers are 5-merous with a unilocular gynoecium. I confirmed that the gynoecium is bicarpellate, possessing two dissimilar styles. An analysis of the development, structure, and vasculature of the gynoecium showed that it is pseudomonomerous, consisting of one fertile adaxial carpel and one solid sterile abaxial carpel. The adaxial carpel forms a thin style with a capitate stigma, whereas the abaxial carpel has a thick style, which develops into a freshy fruit appendage. Comparisons with flowers of other genera (Citronella, Gonocaryum, and Leptaulus) of Cardiopteridaceae as well as the other families (Aquifoliaceae, Helwingiaceae, Phyllonomaceae, and Stemonuraceae) of Aquifoliales showed that the pseudomonomerous gynoecium is very likely a synapomorphy to support the sister-group relationship between Cardiopteridaceae and Stemonuraceae. Moreover, contrary to all previous descriptions, Cardiopteris flowers were found to have an annular nectariferous disk at the base of the gynoecium.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Peter K. Endress and Louis P. Ronse De Craene for their valuable suggestions on the manuscript. The study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 22570090) and the Global Center of Excellence Program A06.

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  1. Department of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 506-8502, Japan

    Hiroshi Tobe

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Correspondence to Hiroshi Tobe.

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Tobe, H. Floral structure of Cardiopteris (Cardiopteridaceae) with special emphasis on the gynoecium: systematic and evolutionary implications. J Plant Res 125, 361–369 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-011-0450-x

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