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Flower bud abortion compensates for female clone growth
The dioecious shrub Aucuba japonica grows clonally by branch-drooping. An unusual feature is that branching is tied closely to flower bud formation at the apices of current shoots. Females flower at low frequency because of higher reproductive costs. To cancel this sexual dimorphism, Abe (pp. 675-681) reports that females abort many flower buds and produce as many clonal shoots as males.
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