AOBPreview originally published online on September 27, 2004
Annals of Botany 2004 94(5):741-751; doi:10.1093/aob/mch199
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Annals of Botany 94/5, © Annals of Botany Company 2004; all rights reserved
Floral Development of Berberidopsis corallina: a Crucial Link in the Evolution of Flowers in the Core Eudicots
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
* E-mail l.ronsedecraene{at}rbge.org.uk
Received: 7 April 2004 Returned for revision: 9 June 2004 Accepted: 4 August 2004 Published electronically: 27 September 2004
• Background and Aims On the basis of molecular evidence Berberidopsidaceae have been linked with Aextoxicaceae in an order Berberidopsidales at the base of the core Eudicots. The floral development of Berberidopsis is central to the understanding of the evolution of floral configurations at the transition of the basal Eudicots to the core Eudicots. It lies at the transition of trimerous or dimerous, simplified apetalous forms into pentamerous, petaliferous flowers.
• Methods The floral ontogeny of Berberidopsis was studied with a scanning electron microscope.
• Key Results Flowers are grouped in terminal racemes with variable development. The relationship between the number of tepals, stamens and carpels is more or less fixed and floral initiation follows a strict 2/5 phyllotaxis. Two bracteoles, 12 tepals, eight stamens and three carpels are initiated in a regular sequence. The number of stamens can be increased by a doubling of stamen positions.
• Conclusions The floral ontogeny of Berberidopsis provides support for the shift in floral bauplan from the basal Eudicots to the core Eudicots as a transition of a spiral flower with a 2/5 phyllotaxis to pentamerous flowers with two perianth whorls, two stamen whorls and a single carpel whorl. The differentiation of sepals and petals from bracteotepals is discussed and a comparison is made with other Eudicots with a similar configuration and development. Depending on the resolution of the relationships among the basalmost core Eudicots it is suggested that Berberidopsis either represents a critical stage in the evolution of pentamerous flowers of major clades of Eudicots, or has a floral prototype that may be at the base of evolution of flowers of other core Eudicots. The distribution of a floral Bauplan in other clades of Eudicots similar to Berberidopsidales is discussed.
Key words: Aextoxicon, Berberidopsidales, Berberidopsis, core Eudicots, Streptothamnus, bracteotepals, floral development, petals, phylogeny, phyllotaxis, scanning electron microscope
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