Stigmatic receptivity in a dichogamous early-divergent angiosperm species, Annona cherimola (Annonaceae): influence of temperature and humidity.

The progamic phase of an early-divergent angiosperm, Annona cherimola (Annonaceae)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Recent studies of reproductive biology in ancient angiosperm lineages are beginning to shed light on the early evolution of flowering plants, but comparative studies are restricted by fragmented and meagre species representation in these angiosperm clades. In the present study, the progamic phase, from pollination to fertilization, is characterized in Annona cherimola, which...

Lora Et Al., Bicellular and Tricellular Pollen in Annona Cherimola the Coexistence of Bicellular and Tricellular Pollen in Annona Cherimola Mill. (annonaceae): Implications for Pollen Evolution

Chirimoya and Loquat

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) is a subtropical tree crop that belongs to the Angiosperm family Annonaceae, which also includes sugar apple and soursop. Cherimoya flowers are pollinated by beetles and characterized by a marked protoginous dichogamy. In regions where cherimoya is now cultivated, the lack of native efficient pollinators forces the implementation of hand-pollination, thus incr...

DNA barcoding of perennial fruit tree species of agronomic interest in the genus Annona (Annonaceae)

The DNA barcode initiative aims to establish a universal protocol using short genetic sequences to discriminate among animal and plant species. Although many markers have been proposed to become the barcode of plants, the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) Plant Working Group recommended using as a core the combination of two portions of plastid coding region, rbcL and matK. In this pape...

Stigmatic exudate in the Annonaceae: Pollinator reward, pollen germination medium or extragynoecial compitum?

Although "dry-type" stigmas are widely regarded as ancestral in angiosperms, the early-divergent family Annonaceae has copious stigmatic exudate. We evaluate three putative functions for this exudate: as a nutritive reward for pollinators; as a pollen germination medium; and as an extragynoecial compitum that enables pollen tube growth between carpels. Stigmatic exudate is fructose dominated (7...